


Faded With Feelings

by yesimgay



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drugs, F/F, Marijuana, References to Drugs, Useless Lesbians, i diagnose you with gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-07
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-09-13 07:31:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16888269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yesimgay/pseuds/yesimgay
Summary: Catra and Adora have been best friends their entire lives. Catra has always been a bit of a slacker, whereas Adora was more of the goody-goody type. Now adults and living in an apartment together, the two of them couldn't be more different. Adora is a hard worker, and Catra is a bit of a pothead, but for good reason - it helps to control her ADHD. Living together, you tend to share everything...except your edibles. When Adora accidentally ingests some of her best friends questionable candies, nonsense ensues and feelings are put on display, leaving Catra confused and wondering how Adora really feels for her. Was Adora just high? Or were her words credible?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> basically its an au where catra n adora work real jobs and live in an apartment together! theyre in their 20s and dealin with a lot of feeeels. catra is still a catgirl tho dont call me out for being a furry  
> note that im not the best writer and im just doing this for funsies so if there are mistakes im sorryyy i hope you enjoy anyways!!! because i love writing these two a lot <3

“Catra, for the last time, I’m _not_ doing it.”

“Come on! You gotta live a little!”

“You are so _relentless_.”

Adora eyed Catra with an expression coated in apathy, shaking her head. Catra was trying the same shtick for the umpteenth time this week.

Adora was much too accustomed to Catra’s persuasive tactics. Catra didn’t mean to peer pressure her - she knew that Adora didn’t feel particularly obligated to do anything she didn’t want to. However, Catra still gave it a shot by asking her every few days, just in case she miraculously changed her mind overnight, or something. She was just tired of getting high alone.

Adora and Catra had been best friends since kindergarten. Polar opposites, but completely inseparable since the day they met. These two were like fire and ice personality wise, but the way they clicked was exceptional. Nobody understood their relationship but them. You’d think two people with such different beliefs and core values would hate each other, but the truth was quite the opposite. They had a deep connection - an immense love that developed over years of teasing, fighting, good times and rough times. Knowing someone for twenty plus years and still being able to tolerate them was quite the accomplishment. The two still enjoyed each other’s company, even after all this time. Sure, they got on each other’s nerves quite a bit, but that was expected when you mix a good girl with a rather negligent one. It didn’t matter how different they were, though- they found something special in each other. They were so close, closer than most people. They spent a huge portion of their time together as kids, throughout highschool, and now they were living together. Each of them felt as though they needed the other to function. They told each other everything. Well, _almost_ everything.

Catra was out as a lesbian, and exceedingly proud of it, too. You could tell that she was gay from a mile away. A slack wardrobe, messy brown hair - even her demeanor was gay. Everything about her just screamed lesbian. Adora, on the other hand, wasn’t as open with her sexuality as Catra was. She’d felt confused her entire life. She’s had boyfriends, but felt nothing, and she didn’t have enough experience with women to justify the possibility of liking them romantically. Although.. she often wondered if her feelings for Catra were _completely_ platonic. Her feelings were so deep and particularly intense - probably a little more intense than most best friends - and she found herself staring at that messy-haired brunette more than she’d like to admit. Bordering on the line between love and friendship, it was always unclear to Adora how she felt about her unruly best friend.

Everything she did was so incredibly annoying, but at the same time…endearing. Adora couldn’t put the puzzle pieces together, and she would often choose to force the thoughts out of her mind completely. Not only did it make her feel confusing things that she just didn’t want to deal with right now, but Catra didn’t seem the person to want someone like _her_ anyways. Yeah, they were best friends, but Catra had always dated girls that were alike her in some aspect. Deadbeat stoners, alternative chicks, that sort of hooey. Adora was more of a down-to-earth kind of girl. Organized, punctual, and structured. She had a down-to-earth look about her, too. Natural blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail the majority of the time, and the blandest clothes imaginable. According to Catra, at least. She definitely wasn’t a trendsetter or anything. Her clothes were proper and free of tacky patterns and things that just didn’t look professional.

Aside from Adora assuming that she was completely romantically incompatible with Catra, the feline was not one to share her emotions openly. Catra was fairly closed off. A private girl when it came to serious emotions. She was a party animal, but that was only on the surface. If something was visibly wrong with Catra, she would never talk about it unless Adora pried it out of her. Catra struggled to be open with her sentiments. For this reason alone, she’d never guessed that Catra could ever be harboring any romantic feelings towards her. Catra always teased her, but she assumed it to be the casual best friend banter. Catra was often confusing to read. Adora has known her for all this time, but she still couldn’t quite put her finger on what Catra was thinking _all_ the time. It frustrated her to no end.

She was so fond of this girl, yet there were some choice things about Catra that irritated her. The way she didn’t know how to tidy up, and the way she fought off organization with such incredible force. Catra was also, to Adora’s dismay, into drugs. Sure, they weren’t hard drugs, just weed - but Adora never was one to be interested in drugs, or even alcohol, for that matter. She never felt the need to be under the influence of anything. She felt as though it hindered your abilities. She didn’t mind Catra smoking when she wasn’t around, or outside so that the smell wouldn’t linger. However, she _hated_ it when Catra would smoke in the apartment while she was at work, and she would come home to find the place _reeking_ of marijuana. They had a perfectly good balcony. It was small, but it was a good place to smoke if you absolutely had to. She wondered if Catra did it just to mess with her.

It crossed Adora’s mind once or twice that maybe she _was_ a little stuck up for not being so lax when it came to the drugs. It didn’t change the fact that people under the influence of something don’t know how to act right. Catra was mellow when she was high, and found practically everything funny. Adora felt as though she couldn’t talk to Catra properly when she was high, because she was way too spaced out. She would usually watch television on the couch, play video games, or doze off in any desired spot. Man, could that girl sleep. Her choice of past times were unproductive to Adora, someone who always had something to check off on her to-do list. It was remarkable that Catra had kept a steady job for this long. Minimum wage or not, it was a job. Considering Catra’s lack of interest in doing anything that wasn’t the bare minimum, it impressed Adora. She was proud of her. Then again, without a job, there was no money. Which meant no apartment, no food, and - most importantly to Catra - no weed.

Their dynamic had been the same in highschool. Catra didn’t get into drugs until she graduated, but she was always a bit of a slacker. You could find her snoozing away in the back of the classroom, trying to finish up homework that was a week late, or throwing crumpled up pieces of paper at Adora from across the room. She never got the best grades, but somehow she managed to pull a few 80’s, which was amazing considering her work ethic was awful. Adora didn’t mean to chastise her best friend so much- she had so many positive qualities, too. Her sense of humor was out of this world. She always knew how to make you feel better, and she had a heart of gold beneath that tough exterior. Adora also tried to understand that some people were just…different. Not everyone was going to be like her.

Catra had ADHD. It was one of the main reasons she was so heavily into the drugs. She explained to Adora that weed helped her relax, and helped to wash away some of the everyday stressors that ADHD had to offer. She couldn’t afford the proper medication, which is why weed was a good alternative, at least for the time being. For this reason, Adora let go of her morals and her stance on marijuana to cater to her friends wellbeing.

Catra’s disorder explained a lot of her slack tendencies and lack of consideration for Adora’s uptight and orderly routines. Adora reminded herself of this whenever Catra’s behaviors got on her nerves - it wasn’t like the girl could exactly help it. Adora felt bad for getting on her case so often - she tried not to. She tried to understand that Catra’s brain was wired differently, and therefore she couldn’t complete the same tasks at the same proficiency as Adora could. She was always picking up Catra’s slack, though, which is maybe why she criticized her so much. Whatever Catra didn’t do around the apartment, Adora had to. Whenever she asked Catra to pick up the slack, she didn’t know how to do it in a way that didn’t make her friend feel bad. She _never_ wanted to make her feel bad. It also came from a place of genuine concern. She often wondered how Catra was going to accomplish her dreams if she didn’t smarten up and pick up her act. Highschool was one thing, but they were adults now and living in the real world.

They weren’t in highschool anymore. In fact, they weren’t in school at all at the moment. Adora had plans to go to college - eventually. Catra, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have any intention of getting any post-secondary education. She aspired to do things her own way, and figure it out herself. Besides, Catra never did work well in a school environment.

They were both two twenty-somethings with dreams and aspirations that they had yet to achieve. Young, confused and uncertain. The expense of a tuition stopped Adora from going to college, so the two of them found themselves living in an apartment together in the city working minimum wage jobs to get by. It wasn’t a very lavish lifestyle, but they made it work. Adora had decided that working for a couple of years and saving all the money she could might further her chances of creating a good career for herself. Catra was focusing on a career as as well, but her path just wasn’t as mapped out as Adora’s. She took the days as they came, letting life pave the way. Catra always had a passion for art, though, and Adora had a feeling that she would end up working in a field of the arts at some point in her life.

Adora always had a lot more aspiration than Catra - a lot more drive. A goody two-shoes, a hard worker and a bit of a priss (according to Catra). She was always either working, writing or planning. She had to do something with her time. She couldn’t just relax, which is what Catra had been trying to get her to do forever now. Everyone needs a break sometimes, but Adora was a work horse. Catra was exhausted just _looking_ at her.

Adora rolled her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose with her index finger and thumb.

“Catra, I’m not smoking weed with you.”

An audible whine leaked from the brunette’s lips.

“Dude, come ON, just this once. I swear, just this once. I wanna see what you’re like when you’re high.”

“It’s not happening. Plus, it’s nine in the morning- you have a problem.”

Wandering over to her work desk, Adora pulled out a chair and plopped down into the seat. Opening up one of her novels and licking her thumb, she began flipping through the pages to find the one she left off on. She was obviously ignoring Catra so that she would stop trying to coax her into getting high with her. She did this every time. Catra didn’t like being ignored by her best friend.

“Pfft. You’re an ass.”

“Catra, you ask me the same thing every week. My answer is always going to be a hard no. You know that I don’t want to get involved with that kind of stuff.” Adora reminded her, flipping the page and crossing her legs. She continued to read the text as if Catra wasn’t even there. It was the only way to get Catra to leave her alone when she was being so tenacious.

“It’s a draw of weed, Adora. It won’t kill you.”

“Mhm.”

The blonde looked as unenthused as ever, glancing up to Catra for a moment before looking back down to her novel. Catra growled, finally giving up for the day, walking away with a huff.

Finally, Adora could have some peace and quiet.

She didn’t know why Catra wanted her to smoke weed that bad, anyways. Was it really that altering to the fun you had in a situation? She’s seen Catra when she’s high. She’s more relaxed, but aside from that, she doesn’t see how anyone could hang out just to get high. Catra did it mostly because it helped control her disorder - but she did it for recreational reasons sometimes, too. It just didn’t seem appealing to Adora - then again, she hasn’t even been drunk before. She’s had a couple of glasses of wine, but she’s never been _drunk_ drunk. She had no idea what it was like to not have complete control of your actions.

Adora’s eyes lifted from the page after a few minutes and she sighed, getting up and sliding a bookmark between the pages of her novel. She set it down atop the rest of the books neatly organized on the desk. She walked out into the kitchen, to see Catra leaning against the counter, playing a mindless game on her phone. She seemed pretty into it, the tip of her tongue stuck out in concentration.

Adora opened the refrigerator and began rummaging around. The clanking of glass and bottles caused Catra’s ears perk up and her tail to swish idly.

Adora set out milk, eggs, butter and the necessary items for pancakes. She shut the fridge and opened the cupboards, obtaining a skillet and a box of pancake mix. She set it all on the counter, getting the supplies ready.

“You want pancakes?” She questioned Catra, watching the girl place her phone on the countertop. Catra crossed her arms and stuck her nose up at the blonde.

“I dunno, _do_ I?” Catra said, mockingly. Her tone was rather morose.

Adora just rolled her eyes. “I know you do. You love it when I make you pancakes.”

“Hmmmmmmm…” Catra squinted her eyes at Adora, staring at her for a while before speaking again. “…maybe.”

Adora felt a smile creep onto her delicate features. Catra couldn’t help but smile, too. She pushed herself up off of the counter, resting her elbows on the island directly across from Adora. They had such an odd relationship, such a weird dynamic to outsiders looking in.

“So, do you have work today?” Catra inquired, poking at the milk carton, and then forwarding her finger to the carton of eggs to lift it and peep inside. She was always picking at something.

“No, I don’t,” Adora answered, as she took out a bowl and began mixing the ingredients together meticulously. “They actually gave me a Friday and Saturday off. It’s practically unheard of at the cafe, since we’re so short-staffed at the moment. I’m going to enjoy it.”

“Ugh, luuuckyyy,” Catra groaned, covering her face with her palms as they slid down her cheeks, pulling on her lower eyelids to signify distress. “I go in at lunchtime today. I have tomorrow off, but that’s a whole ass day away. I only have a couple hours of freedom left before my inevitable _doom_ closes in and I’m stuck dealing with customers all day. Not to mention it’s Friday, which means the grocery store is going to be suuuper busy. Not looking forward to it.”

Adora quirked a brow at her friend. “..And you were going to smoke weed before your shift? That is not a good idea if you’re dealing with customers, Catra. You have very poor judgement. If your boss ever found out that you were high on the job you could lose it altogether.”

“Pshhh. Blah, blah. I’ve been high on the job before and I function just fine.”

“Yeah, I bet the customers don’t notice your bloodshot eyes or anything.”

Catra snorted, brushing off Adora’s remarks, which is something she had gotten quite good at. She watched Adora grab the skillet and place it on the stove top, turning the burner on. She waited for it to get hot before grabbing the bowl of pancake mix and slowly pouring it into the skillet, making perfect circles of batter. She set the bowl aside and took out the pancake turner, humming softly to herself as she waited for the mix to solidify.

Catra admired Adora, for a plethora of reasons. She was smart, articulate and practical - things Catra wasn’t. Adora always kept Catra grounded. She was a great influence in her life, even though Catra didn’t necessarily take after her habits. She showed Catra what it was like to be established, though, and Catra considered that very admirable. She watched her best friend grow up from a little girl into this mature, beautiful woman with morals and standards. Would she ever voice that to her best friend? No, of course not. But she definitely thought it.

Catra’s eyes wandered the blonde in front of her. Damn, was she ever gorgeous. Adora was always attractive, and everyone always flocked to her because of her good looks and her kind personality. Sure, she was a bit of a prude at times, but it didn’t make her a bad person.

She always got the majority of the attention in highschool. She was always praised for being the good girl, teacher’s pet and straight A student. Catra spent a portion of her time resenting Adora because of this - simply because she could never live up to meet Adora’s standards, even if she tried. It made her feel bad for a period of time. Worthless, almost. But Adora never tried to make her feel that way. She was just naturally gifted with intelligence and no neurodevelopmental disorders. Lucky her.

Catra had recently made the realization that she doesn’t have to do everything like Adora to be respected. Adora was an over-achiever, and Catra was a bit of an under-achiever, and that was okay. Someone’s worth wasn’t defined by how put together you were. Catra didn’t have to be a carbon copy of Adora to do great things. Besides, Adora loved her the way she was, even if Catra’s behaviors irked her sometimes. And, in the end, Adora’s love was all Catra ever really wanted.

The attention she got in highschool made Catra jealous, but not in the conventional sense. She was protective of her best friend. She wanted her all to herself, but Adora always had some sort of clique. A clique of fucking nerds, but, still. Whenever Catra would (rarely) voice her jealousy, Adora would always remind her that she was her best friend, and nobody could come between them. She was always a good friend like that. It soothed Catra a lot, but there was another problem she didn’t voice - the attention Adora got from boys, which made Catra feel… _unequivocally_ jealous. Not because she wanted the boys to like her, no. She didn’t want _them_ to like _Adora_. Every time Adora got a new boyfriend, Catra would grit her teeth and pretend to be happy for her, when inside she was crumbling. Whenever something didn’t work out between Adora and a current boyfriend, Catra was secretly ecstatic. They never seemed to make Adora happy, anyways - Adora always did the majority of the dumping. Only once or twice was _she_ dumped.

Catra remembers the first day Adora confided in her that she might like girls. Catra has known herself forever (she came out to Adora when they were in fifth grade), but Adora was a little slower when it came to accepting her sexuality. Nothing wrong with that, either. Catra just hoped she would figure it out someday so that she could be happy. They hadn’t discussed it lately, but Adora’s feelings for women were becoming more and more apparent. She found herself feeling things she never felt when she thought about boys. It was becoming harder to ignore her attraction to women - and, it was one woman in particular that had the majority of her attention. Did Catra have a single clue? Not the slightest. She assumed that Adora wouldn’t want someone so…slovenly disorganized weighing her down. Little did they know, the both of them were harboring feelings for each other - whether they fully realized it or not.

“Well, you don’t have to worry. I’m gonna skip smoking up today, and go into work completely sober. Mainly because if I don’t you’ll get on my ass about it.” Catra twirled a lock of her brown hair around her index finger, watching Adora flip the pancakes over.

“Mhm. Good call.” Adora glanced back at her friend with a charming smile, causing a few feelings to stir in the pit of Catra’s stomach.

“Hey, you’re gonna make sure my pancakes are fluffy, right?” Catra chimed in, leaning over the island to get a glimpse of the pancakes in progress.

“Uhhh, duh,” Adora shimmied the finished pancakes onto the pancake spatula, grabbing a plate and placing them in the center. “How many times do I make you pancakes in the course of the week? Do you think I’m going to stop making them the way you want?”

Catra sneered, watching Adora turn, setting the plate in front of her. She grabbed the syrup from the fridge and tossed it to Catra, and Catra returned a smile.

“Thank-you, Adora.”

“Oh, bringing out the manners this time? You’re welcome.”

Catra gave a cheeky smile. “You’re not having any?”

“Nah. I’m not in the mood. I just knew that you’d want something to eat before work.”

The blonde began cleaning up her mess immediately, setting everything back in their respective places. Catra looked down at her pancakes. Adora did so much for her. She should be more vocal with her appreciation, but it was hard for her to do so. She grabbed her plate and sat down at the table to watch Adora clean, getting lost in her own thoughts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

11:30 AM rolled around quicker than Catra would have liked it to. She spent the morning in her room playing video games, which was entirely expected. Although, she was just enjoying her freedom before work, so Adora couldn’t say anything. Nor should she.

Catra had to get ready for work and be at the grocery store by 12 to start her shift, so she had to get her shit together and make it happen. As always, she wasn’t very punctual. She rushed around the living room, grabbing her work clothes and stuffing them into her bag. No consideration for the wrinkles that could cause. It didn’t even cross her mind.

Adora was sat on the couch, nose deep in her book again. Her legs were up, her feet wrapped in pink fuzzy slippers. Catra _envied_ her. She wanted to relax right now. She reminded herself that she had a day off tomorrow, as a way of mentally preparing herself for the upcoming shift. Adora seemed particularly invested in her book, and Catra took note of this, grabbing her keys off the coffee table.

“What are you reading about, anyways? You’re, like, completely dead to the world.” Catra remarked, watching Adora’s eyes slowly glance up from being glued to the text.

“Oh, um. It’s just a book about philosophy.”

Catra heaved an over-exaggerated sigh. “Wow, _BOOORING_. You are such a nerd.”

Adora just smiled, waving her hand to signal Catra out the door, passively-aggressively telling her to get a move on. “Have a good shift. I’ll see you tonight at 8.”

“Yeah, thanks. Enjoy your day off.” Catra slid out the door, closing it behind her.

Adora glanced up from her book, but only for a moment. Continuing to read intently, she remained like that for about an hour. Before she knew it, she checked the clock and it read 1:00PM. She blinked, putting the book down on the side table. She really did get too invested in her reading. She decided that it was time to get up and actually do something with the free time she had.


	2. Faded With Feelings - Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora gets into Catra's things, and finds some unexpected treasures. She's feeling a little woozy after eating those gummy bears, though. Catra comes home from work to find a very stoned Adora lounging on the couch, babbling and making very little sense. On account of being high, a few of Adora's feelings bubble to the surface.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was sooo fun to write bahaha. high adora is fun. also some of the things adora says is based off of real things my high friends have said to me, so LMAO enjoy! <3

Pushing herself up off the couch, Adora’s eyes wandered the living room. Her hands rested on her hips idly. Scanning the room, she noticed a few things that weren’t to her liking, and she decided that maybe a bit of spring cleaning was in order. After all, she had nothing better to do, and doing nothing drove her crazy. 

After grabbing a bite to eat, she went ahead and cleaned the kitchen, top to bottom, making sure that it was _spotless_. Catra would be shaking her head. Even on her day off, Adora just couldn’t _relax_ like a normal person.

The blonde took her cleanliness mission out into the living room. There wasn’t a lot out of order, but it was enough that it bothered Adora. She really spiffed up the place to make it look brand new. Would Catra even notice? She doubted it. Catra never really did.

Her mind reflected to Catra, and then... to Catra’s room. She hadn’t been in there for a while, and for good reason. The mess in there was absurd. She could barely stand to look at it. More often than not she left it alone. That was Catra’s personal space, after all. Her curiosity got the best of her, though, and she headed to Catra’s room, opening up the door and peeking inside. 

Her mouth dropped open when her eyes met the mess in there. Wow, was it ever a state. Catra had trinkets galore scattered across the floor. Papers and useless things littered the room. Her bed wasn’t made and there were clothes camping out in the far corner of the room. It wasn’t _dirty_ , per say. At least Catra had the decency to keep it clean and not contaminated with filth. _However_ , it was so incredibly disorganized and cluttered that Adora couldn’t leave it be. 

She swung the door open and took the initiative to tidy up Catra’s room, beginning by making that girls bed and tossing her clothes in the wash. Starting with the basics. She’d get to the nitty gritty later. 

Cleaning Catra’s room was a two-person job (or, maybe a three or four person job) but she did it all by herself. She was in there for hours decluttering the place. Catra probably wouldn’t be happy with her, but it _had_ to be done. She couldn’t stand to let it pile up and get worse than it already was. Adora knew that it was a little out of line to clean her roommates room for her, but its not like Catra was going to do it unprompted. Besides, Adora has done this before. Each time she did, Catra wasn’t very pleased with her. Adora did a lot of things that got under Catra’s skin, though. It was for her own good. She’d get over it.

Adora made quite a few discoveries while rooting around Catra’s room - she did clean it top to bottom, so there was bound to be some things hidden underneath all that mess. She found useless crap from the thrift store, along with CDs from 2009. She found old homework from highschool that was never finished. She had absolutely no clue why Catra still had that stuff. It didn’t serve any genuine purpose in her life, but Adora guessed that it held some sentimental value of some sort. She found quite a few things that she didn’t even know Catra had. She was gentle with it all, since she didn’t want to ruin any of Catra’s precious mementos - even if they were garbage to Adora. 

She found weed paraphernalia hidden in the drawers of her dresser beneath a bunch of band tees. Adora rolled her eyes. It was thoughtful of Catra to try and hide that stuff from her. Realistically, though, she knew it had to be somewhere. Catra smoked weed in an abundance of different ways, and Adora was well aware of this. So, obviously, she would have pipes and things of the sort _somewhere_. Taking the items out of the drawer, she carefully lined them up on one of Catra’s shelves and displayed them to look pretty. She wished that Catra would keep her room as clean as she kept these pipes. 

She found pictures of her and Catra from elementary school stuffed in the drawer of her bedside table. She smiled as she looked through them. It was touching that Catra still had these. Hidden in the same drawer were some pens and wristbands, a broken Xbox controller, and a lone bag of gummy bears. Not many, about eight. Adora had a bit of a sweet tooth, so she was tempted by sugary candies easily. She figured Catra wouldn’t mind if she had some, since they shared food all the time, anyways. She popped them into her mouth. Three, one by one, thinking nothing of it. 

Along with those discoveries, there was one Adora was _really_ interested in. She found Catra’s beautiful art, hidden from the world. She didn’t mean to snoop to such a degree, but her friend never showed off her art. Needless to say, her curiosity was too great. Maybe a peek wouldn’t hurt. Underneath Catra’s work desk lay a portfolio of drawings that she had never even seen before. Catra was always an artist, but she was shy about her work. It pained Adora’s heart to know that Catra didn’t think she was good enough - she had a habit of putting herself down, even if she was incredibly talented. She sat down on Catra’s bed and decided to flip through the portfolio - Catra wouldn’t be home for another hour or two yet. She’d put it back exactly where she got it.

Inside the folder were sketches upon sketches, with some finished pieces scattered in between. Different characters, scenes, and anatomy practice. They were amazing, to say the least, and Adora was dumbfounded. How could Catra think _any_ of this was bad? They were all so good. She flipped through the pages, and caught a glimpse of one page in particular that made her stop. It was a page full of sketches, but.. they were _all_ of Adora. The entire page was filled with sketches of the blonde. She flipped to the next page and, sure enough, there were even more drawings of her. Her cheeks warmed. She had no idea that Catra drew her, in any capacity- so seeing all of these at once was kind of surprising.

“I am not that pretty.” She muttered to herself, followed by a gentle smile, tracing her fingertips down the page and over the lines. Catra made her out to be some kind of model. Yea, okay, she was pretty - but she wasn’t a model. In her own eyes, at least.

Her eyes wandered the page, seeing Catra’s initials at the bottom, written in beautiful cursive. Wait, _cursive_? She didn’t even know that Catra knew _how_ to write in cursive. 

Maybe she didn’t give her enough credit.

Adora stared at the page for a while. She had no idea why Catra drew her so much, but she figured it might have been practice with realism, or something artsy like that. Nonetheless, she was flattered. She decided not to go any further, since it was getting to a point where it was _too_ much of an invasion of Catra’s privacy. She put the portfolio back in its place. She put the rest of Catra’s things back, too, organizing her shelves and her nightstand for her. She’s cleaned Catra’s room before, but this was the first time she poked her nose into things she shouldn’t have. She felt a little guilty, but Catra’s art was so nice. She had such a talent and she hid it from the world. It really didn’t deserve to go unrecognized.

Adora left Catra’s room to sit on the couch again and finish up her book. She settled in, swiping her book off the table and opening to the page she left off on. She was almost done, only a few chapters of her book remaining.

About a half an hour passed, and Adora started to feel a little...disoriented. 

The text on the page seemed to be moving slightly. It was a little.. wavy, almost, and Adora was losing her focus significantly. She blinked once, and then twice, putting the book down beside her. Staring at her hands, she squinted her eyes. Everything was a little..slower? Not dramatically, but she just didn’t feel _right_. Was she getting sick? She didn’t feel nauseous or anything, she just felt.. off. It was a feeling she hadn’t felt before. She glanced down to her fuzzy pink slippers, and wiggled her feet, moving her body to make sure she wasn’t _dying_ or something. She felt fine physically, but mentally she felt a little muddy and confused. Her thoughts weren’t as concise as they usually were. She began to worry, but she soothed herself with some deep breathing techniques. If something did happen to her, Catra would be home soon. 

Adora glanced to her slippers again, and she couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of them. Alright... _why_ was that so funny? There was nothing funny about it, she wore these slippers all the time. Yet...everything seemed so comical in the moment. The colors of the walls seemed to pop - everything did, really. It all seemed.. brighter? Eventually she found herself slipping away and mellowing out. A few more minutes passed, and Adora fell victim to the feeling. She felt fuzzy and like she wasn’t exactly on planet Earth anymore. At least, in her head, anyways. 

“I’m home!”   
A familiar voice rung in Adora’s ears. Catra entered into the living room with a sigh, obviously pretty drained from her shift. It did take a lot out of her. Slipping her bag off her shoulder, she tossed it aside, letting it land on the floor with a thunk.

“Oh, man, am I glad to be home. You wouldn’t believe how busy it was today, Adora. Ugh, there was this old dude that kept asking where we kept the candles. I was, like, this is a grocery store, not Wal-Mart. Go back to the retirement home.” 

The feline was met with an an unusual silence. Usually Adora loved her funny stories. Her eyes fixed on Adora, who was giving her a hazy smile and half-lidded eyes to match. The blonde didn’t say anything, but she seemed completely out of it.

“Um,” Catra quirked a brow at her, and then furrowed them, puzzled. “Adora?”

Adora was slumped against the couch, completely absent to the world. She finally tuned in when she heard Catra’s voice say her name. Propping herself up, she waved to Catra with a giggle. 

“Heeeeey. Catraaa. I haven’t seen you in, like, foreverrr. Where’d ya go?” 

This was.. _very_ unlike Adora, and her demeanor and words raised a _lot_ of questions. 

“Um. I was at work, and you know that. Adora? Are you okay?” Catra stepped closer to her, leaning down, trying to get a good look at her. The blonde looked back at her, but her eyes were nearly closed. 

“Yea, I’m fineee. I’m, like, cool. How nice of you to come visit me, Catty.” 

Catra squinted, noticing that something was _clearly_ off about her best friend. She took a seat on the couch beside Adora. 

“Dude, I live here. Like, really. Are you okay? Are you sick or something?” Catra’s voice held much concern. Adora didn’t seem to be sick in the traditional sense, she was just acting very strange. Especially for someone of her nature.

“Pshh. I’m just dandy. Catty, I have a question. Have you ever, like, felt like a rocketship? You know in space and shit?” Adora asked, before snorting and scolding herself. “Wait, that’s stupid. You’re stupid, Adora.” 

Catra was viciously confused, and rightfully so. She comes home after a long shift at work to find her best friend sprawled on the couch making little to no sense. She watched Adora’s face intently- she was totally dazed. Adora’s eyes closed completely, and she seemed to be very relaxed. After a few moments of silence, though, she shot up, promptly lifting her hands to Catra’s face and nearly missing.

“Hold on, hold on. I need to find you,” Adora began feeling around Catra’s features, opening her mouth in awe. “...no way. You’re REAL?” 

“Oooookay. Wow. Um,” Catra took hold of Adora’s wrists, guiding her hands down from her face, resting them on her lap. “Adora? Can you tell me what you did today?”

Adora nodded, and a heavy silence followed, before opening her eyes again. Her smile returned. 

“I cleaned up the apartment. Are you proud of me?” 

“Um.. yea, I’m proud of you. What _else_ did you do today?”

“I...cleaned up your roooom for you. I found.. lotsa stuff. I found pictures of us...I ate these gummy bears. Then, like, an hour later I was all ‘is this real life’? Catra. I feel weird.”

“Oh my _god_.” Catra’s head sank into her palms, shaking her head slowly. She gave an audible groan, and a long winded one, at that. Removing her palms from her face, she looked at Adora again, her lips drawn out in a thin line. 

“Adora, those were edibles. Why else would I have them hidden? Oh, man, I can’t believe you ate those. How many did you eat?”

“Hmmm. Whazzat?” 

“How many gummy bears did you eat, Adora.” 

Adora just smiled, holding up her hand to show three fingers. “This many.”

“Jesus _christ_ , Adora.” Catra took a deep breath, shaking her head again. She pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers, and remained silent as she considered the severity of the predicament she was in. Once she spoke up again, her tone was a little more on the serious side. “We’ll talk about you snooping in my room when you’re not as high as a fucking kite. Right now I have to take care of you and make sure you don’t do anything stupid. You’re lucky I came home when I did.”

“I’m high?” Adora furrowed her brows, her face buffering in thought. She looked around the room. Everything was a little wobbly, and her vision wasn’t exactly on par. She felt particularly happy, like there wasn’t a care in the world.

“Yes. You have absolutely no tolerance to weed, either. Those three gummy bears had at least 20mg of THC in each of them. Not only that, but they are going to affect you a _lot_ more than they would affect me.” Catra informed her, sporting a fairly deadpan expression.

Adora stared off into space for a moment, before slumping against the couch again. “That’s crazy talk. You are a crazy person, Catty.” She lifted her hand, waving her finger at Catra, and then pointed it at her. 

Catra rolled her eyes, lifting Adora and correcting her posture. Adora allowed her eyes to shut again, her head falling back as her smile stretched from ear to ear. 

“Hmmm.” Adora hummed, seemingly content for a couple of moments. Opening her eyes and looking at Catra again, she seemed to be staring at her. Catra was staring back with an unamused expression, yet her face hinted concern. As much as she was irritated with Adora for snooping in her room, she cared about her and wanted to make sure she was okay. She was going to take care of her until the edibles wore off. 

Adora lifted her arms and slapped her hands onto Catra’s cheeks. The blonde swayed a little as she did so, inching closer to Catra’s face.

“My Catra. My sweet, sweet little Catra.” Adora cooed, rubbing her thumb across Catra’s cheek. Catra flushed a faint red, but just rolled her eyes again. Adora was high as fuck.

“Adora, about how long ago did you eat those gummy bears?” 

“Aw, geez. Can I get a vowel?” Adora snorted, falling victim to the comfort of the couch again. Catra was flabbergasted. Never in a million years did she think Adora would accidentally ingest one of her edibles. She hid them for that exact reason. Edibles to a person that doesn’t smoke weed daily can really fuck you up.

“C’mon, Adora, sit up.” Catra ordered her.

“But couch.. so comfy..” Her voice trailed off into a whisper. Catra’s arms wrapped around Adora’s waist in order to lift her up again, and as soon as she did, all of Adora’s weight fell onto her instead. The blonde rested her cheek on Catra’s shoulder, nuzzling into it. 

“Ohhh. Can you do that again?” Adora inquired, looking up at Catra’s face and lifting a finger, poking at her cheek. Catra swat Adora’s hand gently and lowered it down.

“Do what?”

“Put..your hands on me.” Adora specified, a giggle following after her sentence. Her hand lifted again to poke Catra’s cheek once more, and then to boop her on the nose. “I might be hiiigh, but you sure are pretty.”

Catra nearly choked, her face flushing red in an instant. She tugged against the collar of her shirt, clearing her throat as she made a desperate attempt to gather herself.

“Oookay. I - You are seriously gone. I think you need water. Do you want me to get you water?” 

“I’m hungies.” Adora simply stated, resting her chin on Catra’s shoulder, practically gazing at her.

“Yeah, weed does that to you. I’ll get you a snack. Wait here.” Catra slipped out of Adora’s grasp and she whined softly, but soon sank into the couch again, content as ever. 

Wandering into the kitchen, Catra opened the fridge and began searching for something Adora could eat. She rummaged around, her mind buzzing with thoughts. She could not grasp the fact that Adora was actually _high_ right now, and.. flirting with her? Was that flirting? She honestly didn’t know how to interpret it. Adora was so against getting high that Catra just assumed she’d never see her high in her entire life, no matter how often she asked the blonde to join her. It wasn’t a good thing that Adora got into her stash, but at least she didn’t seem to be having any negative reaction. If she did, Catra was home to take care of her. And Adora was, in all honesty, pretty adorable like this. 

Catra’s cheeks were still warm from the blonde’s compliment. 

_’Ugh, she was just high. It doesn’t mean a thing. Don’t be stupid, Catra.’_

“Hey, Adora,” Catra called out to her, gathering the attention of the blonde for only a split second. “I’m getting you a drink, too. Do you want juice or water?”

Adora was silent as she thought long and hard about her decision. She finally shouted back at Catra. “Orange juice! Gimme some of that good vitaaaamin C...” Her voice trailed off, and Catra couldn’t help but laugh. She took the orange juice and poured Adora a glass, popping it back into the fridge and shutting the door. She couldn’t find anything suitable for her to eat in the fridge, so she turned her attention to the pantry. She found a bag of pretzels and went with it, grabbing a bowl and pouring some into it. She heard Adora laughing to herself out in the living room. Who knew what was going through that girls head right now.

Catra brought the bowl of pretzels and the glass of orange juice out to Adora, placing it on the coffee table. The blonde was staring off at the wall in front of her. Catra waved a hand in front of Adora’s face. 

“Uh, Earth to Adora.” 

Adora blinked and looked at her, averting her eyes to the food on the table, and then back at Catra. 

“Oh my god, are you my guardian angel?” 

Catra snickered, sitting down beside her again. “What? No, I’m just your best friend here to give your high ass some nourishment.” She handed Adora the orange juice, encouraging her to drink it. She obliged, cupping two hands over the glass and sipping the drink.

“Wow. That’s some damn good O-J. I’ve never tasted orange juice this good...”

“It’s the same orange juice we always have in the fridge, dork.” Catra took the glass from Adora when she was finished taking a few sips, as a precaution to make sure she wouldn’t drop it and spill it everywhere. Setting it down on the coffee table again, Catra then lifted the bowl of pretzels and placed it in Adora’s lap. “Here, eat something.”

Adora glanced down to the food, lifting a pretzel and popping it into her mouth, followed by another one soon after. Crunching and bobbing her head, she ate her food as she was told. She was so...bubbly. Definitely a bit of a change from the normal Adora she saw every day. 

“Is it good?” Catra asked, watching Adora eat the pretzels she’d provided her with. Adora seemed to be really thankful for the food. 

“Oh yeah!” She exclaimed, her head falling onto Catra’s shoulder again. “Haha. Hey, Catra, I’m the kool-aid man. Ohhh yeah.” 

Catra busted out with laughter, her shoulders bouncing with each breath. The sheer peculiarity of the situation mixed with Adora’s nonsense caused her to break her normally serious facade. Her laugh initiated a chain reaction and caused Adora to laugh, and soon enough the two were laughing together, feeding off of each other’s chortles. 

“Man, you’re an idiot.” Catra swiped a tear from her eye, looking down at Adora, who was still giggling to herself. She must have been thinking everything was funny right now. Catra was going to enjoy telling her about all the tomfoolery that occurred here when she was sober again.

“Hmmmm. I’m _your_ idiot.” Adora grinned widely, her lids lifting to look up at Catra with those big, ocean blue eyes. Catra felt her throat get dry. Her eyes lingered for a moment, admiring Adora’s beauty, before turning her head quickly and refusing to look at the blonde. 

“Aha, yeah, you are. My best friend and my best idiot.” Catra brought herself back into reality in a snap. Rubbing the back of her neck, she waited for the blush on her cheeks to die down. 

“Psssst. Hey. I have a secret. Catty. Listen to me.” Adora placed the bowl of pretzels onto the coffee table again, and her hands lifted to grab Catra’s head. Pulling it down and situating her lips next to Catra’s ear, her voice was a low, faint whisper. “I wuv youuuuu...”

Catra felt herself shiver. “Uh.. tch.. that’s not a secret, Adora. I know you love me.”

“Okay, good.” Adora released her head and fell back into the couch, nuzzling the arm rest. Catra stared at her, her heart beating a little faster than usual. Adora was just high as hell, nothing she did right now should be taken into consideration. She reminded herself of that. 

Catra got up from the couch, and Adora’s eyes followed her.

“Hey, where ya goin?” 

“I’m bringing you to bed, you’re too stoned for your own good.”

“Hmmmmm. Sleepy time.” Adora closed her eyes as she hummed, rubbing her cheek against the arm rest of the couch, getting comfortable. 

“No, no.” Catra lifted Adora’s weight and helped her stand up. “If you’re gonna take a nap you’re gonna take it in a bed, not the couch.” 

Adora nodded. “Ooookey-dokey.” 

Catra began walking Adora across the living room, holding her hand so that she wouldn’t fall over. This girl couldn’t be trusted to do anything at the moment. She was heading to Adora’s bedroom, but Adora stopped her in her tracks.

“No...” She placed a hand on Catra’s shoulder. “Catra’s bedroom.” She insisted, pointing to the bathroom door. Alright, she was a little lost direction-wise, but Catra got the point. 

“Why _my_ room?” Catra questioned, retracing her steps and heading to her own room instead, abiding by Adora’s wishes. 

“Cause, I don’t wanna be aloneee.” 

“Alright, alright.”

Catra brought her into her room, and was amazed at how clean and tidy it was the minute she stepped in there. She was still a bit miffed that Adora had cleaned it, as well as snooped, but getting mad at her now wouldn’t do any good. She was, however, appreciative that Adora cleaned her room for her every so often. It was probably just Adora’s intense need for everything to be organized and perfect driving her to do it, but Catra appreciated it nonetheless. 

“Damn, you did all of this? You.. organized _everything_. And I have a lot of stuff.”

“Yeehaw. Sure did.” Adora beamed, wandering over to Catra’s bed and plunking down into it face-first. She sank into the mattress and remained there. Catra shook her head.

“Adora, at least get under the covers. Can you do that yourself?”

“mmfmfnm.” Adora attempted to speak, but her words were muffled by the blankets. 

“Oh, man.” Catra sighed, lifting Adora up by the waist and helping her into bed. She sat the girl down, and watched her slip beneath the covers, getting cozy and cradling into the sheets. 

“Aaaaahhhhh. I feel like I’m wrapped in cotton candy. Oh my gosh. I’m the sugar, and these blankets are the.. the fluffy parts...of, like, the cotton candy...”

Catra grinned, crossing her arms and looking down at Adora. “You comfortable?”

“Hmmm. Yeaaaa. Almost.” Adora opened her eyes to look at Catra, although they were still half-lidded. “Come lie with me. You can be cotton candy, too. I’m the pink cotton candy, and you’re the blue cotton candy.”

“What the hell is going through your mind right now, Adora,” Catra replied, making her way around the bed, looking at the empty spot beside the blonde.  
“I mean..I guess I can? I have nothing better to do, and I am tired from work. Maybe a quick nap wouldn’t hurt. Besides, once _you_ nap it’ll take the edge off your high.” 

Catra climbed into bed beside Adora, getting comfortable beneath the sheets. She had intended on giving Adora space, but she was immediately met with Adora’s arms around her. The blonde nuzzled her cheek against Catra’s chest. 

“Haha! You fell for my trap..I’m the snuggle monster. Mmmm. You’re soft.” Adora murmured, and Catra blinked, a little surprised to have Adora so close to her. They hugged all the time, but.. they didn’t exactly _snuggle_. She felt her heart pacing rapidly again, and the warmth that Adora was emitting was extremely comforting. She looked down at her friend. She was faded as hell, but somehow still managed to look remarkably cute. 

Catra lifted her eyes and glanced around her room, noticing that all of her pipes and grinders were arranged on the shelf above her dresser. She also took note of the absence of clothes on the floor, and her CDs were organized. Adora was really thorough during her clean-up, wasn’t she..

Catra’s eyes shot to her portfolio, that she knew were full of drawings of Adora, as well as poems hidden in the very back. Panic ensued within her.

“...Adora?” Catra’s voice wavered a little.

“Mmm. Yes?” Adora’s arms were around the feline’s tummy, wrapping around her. 

“Um, did you find anything else? While you were cleaning?”

_Please say no. Please say no._

“Mmmyeah.”

_Fuck._

“I found your drawings.” Adora yawned, looking up at Catra with a lazy smile. Normally she wouldn’t be so willing to admit that she found Catra’s art, because she knew that the feline was shy when it came to showing off her creations - but Adora was a little..under the influence, and her judgement was hindered. 

“They’re sooo pretty.” Adora stated. “Like, you’re an artist. You’re like...Picasso. Or.. Da Vinci... or some other dead guy...”

Catra froze, her lips thinning into a straight line. 

_Nooo, no, no. Not good._

“What did you see? You didn’t read any poems, right?” Panic shook Catra’s voice.

“Wha? Poems? Nah, I only saw some real pretty art. I like the way you.. move the pencil and it comes out like that. Really cool. Magic. You’re like a magician, you know. Oooh, do a magic trick.”

Catra emitted a long, drawn out sigh of relief. She hadn’t seen the poems. _That_ was a close one. She must not have flipped through the entire portfolio. 

Catra had poems written about Adora stuffed into the back of that portfolio. Some were from elementary school and highschool. Some were from a few years ago, and some were fairly recent. One thing was for sure is that they were _all_ indisputably gay as hell. They were Catra’s deepest, most inner thoughts. Things she couldn’t voice, and things she would never dare say aloud. It was personal, and they weren’t supposed to be seen by _anybody_ , let alone the girl she was writing _about_.

“Adora, please.. don’t snoop in my room anymore.” Catra’s tone was a little more serious than before. “Like, I do have stuff in here that I want to keep private, ya know.”

Adora pouted, and the smallest whine could be heard. “I’m sorry, Catty. I didn’t mean toooo. Why would you wanna keep anything private? I’m your bestieee, right?” 

Catra nodded, staring at the ceiling. “Yeah, you are. But.. some things are just private. Understand?”

“Okey-dokey, ma’am.” Adora stifled another yawn. “You know, I did see a lot of drawings of me. You made me look too pretty!” She hugged into Catra a little tighter. Catra lay there, completely and _utterly_ embarrassed. She hadn’t seen the poems, at least, but she did see the drawings. The poems had her feelings written out onto a piece of paper, long confessions of feelings she’d had for years - so Catra was at least thankful that she didn’t see _those_. The drawings, however...that was almost just as bad. She drew Adora so often. Dear Lord, Adora probably thought Catra was such a creep now. Catra didn’t say anything, on account of being too lost in a parade of her own thoughts. 

Adora slowly glanced up at Catra again, but Catra refused to look back at her. She took note of Catra’s red cheeks.

“Catty.” She spoke, her voice as fragile as ever.

“Mm?” Catra responded, but her eyes were glued to the ceiling. 

Adora didn’t say anything else. She just lifted her head off of Catra’s chest, in order to plant a kiss on Catra’s cheek, before snuggling back into her original position and using Catra’s chest as a pillow. She felt her eyes getting heavier and heavier, and she was slowly but surely succumbing to sleep.

Catra’s heart nearly _stopped_ when Adora’s lips met her cheek. She felt her entire face flush a deep red, and she swallowed thickly. _Oh_. Adora just gave her a _kiss_ on the cheek. Her head whirled, her eyes wide. She remained there, practically frozen, trying to process the situation. 

_‘Oh, geez, woah. Don’t freak out, Catra. Don’t make this a bigger thing than it is. She’s high right now, which means she’s probably not thinking straight. Right? Yeah, she’s, like, suuuper high. It’s no big deal. It’s no big deal.’_

Everything was quiet for a while, except for the sound of Catra’s heart throbbing in her ears. The sound of Adora’s breathing soon joined in, and her breaths became steadier as the minutes passed. Eventually, she was wholly asleep, dozing away on top of Catra. 

“Adora..?” Catra whispered softly, gathering no response from the blonde sleeping on her. 

Catra lay in silence for a long while, listening to Adora’s breathing. Eventually, she allowed herself to relax into the mattress. The weight of Adora on top of her was such a comfort- she was warm. She was near her, safe and sound. She was sleeping on her. Catra had dreams about things like this - Adora cuddled into her, her arms wrapped around Catra, the two dozing off together. She’d _always_ wanted this, for god knows how long. Catra was honestly on cloud nine right now, albeit being confused as all hell. Not only did she get a kiss, but she had - who she thought to be - the prettiest girl in the world on top of her. Even if Adora was just high, even if it didn’t mean anything. She got a taste of what it _could_ be like if Adora liked her in that way.

Catra slowly placed her arm around Adora, holding her tight. She stared down at her for a long while, reveling in the moment. She probably wouldn’t get this again. She took in a deep breath. After a while, she surrendered to her exhaustion, her eyes drooping. The two lay there, snuggled together, and Catra found herself drowsing off into a sea of comforting bliss she’d never felt before.


	3. Faded With Feelings - Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra wakes up to find an Adora nestled beside her in bed. She leaves the blonde to rest as she smokes to take her mind off of things. Catra is left wondering if Adora's high actions held any amount of sincerity. As Adora wakes up and tries to recall the events from last night, she's worried she might've done something out of line. She meets Catra on the balcony outside and they discuss some things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i diagnose you with gay, catra and adora... lmao enjoy <3

The next morning rolled around, the sunshine peeping through the curtains of the window as it crept over the city. The beams hit the surface of both girls’ skin, complimenting their features. Neither had moved a muscle in their sleep. They were so comfortable and warm nestled beneath the covers together that they didn’t even stir. Their snooze was only supposed to last a few hours, but with the combination of the drugs Adora had and Catra’s exhaustion from work, the two were comatose for the remainder of the night. 

Catra was the first to stir awake, squinting as the sun rays hit her eyes. She lifted the arm that wasn’t trapped beneath Adora to shield her vision from the bright sun. She turned her head, a little groggy from just waking up. Looking down at the blonde beauty sleeping before her, she smiled softly, looking up to the ceiling as her smile grew in size. That was probably the best sleep of her life. Adora was snuggled into her for the entirety of the night. 

Catra’s eyes made their way to the alarm clock on her bedside table. It read 7:05AM. Damn, they were knocked out for a fairly good amount of time. 

By the looks of it, Adora was still in a deep sleep. It didn’t look like she was getting up anytime soon. Understandable, too. She had a lot of THC in her system for someone so inexperienced with drugs. Catra was glad that she was sleeping it off, though. The feline decided to shimmy herself out from underneath Adora, switching her body out with a pillow. As much as she loved having Adora snuggled into her, she couldn’t lie there forever awaiting her consciousness. She was hungry. She’d fed Adora yesterday, but completely forgot to feed herself. She tip-toed around the room and slowly pulled out her dresser drawers. All of her clothes were neatly packed away in each drawer, organized and folded. 

Adora. 

She rummaged around to find a t-shirt to lounge around in. She had the day off, after all, so she didn’t have to dress up. Not like she did that anyways. 

She picked out her Blink 182 tee that was about a size too big for her. She was a rather scrawny girl, so t-shirts often hung on her in a baggy fashion anyways. She picked out some pajama shorts with little printed hearts on them. Usually that wouldn’t be her style, but the pajama shorts were black and the hearts were gray, so she liked them. Besides, Adora gave them to her. Catra actually had an abundance of things that Adora had given her over the years. Naturally. All of the Christmases, birthdays and special occasions they’ve celebrated together in two decades made for a lot of mementos. As well as this, Catra wasn’t one to throw anything away - she was, admittedly, a bit of a packrat. Or, a packcat, in this case.

She removed the clothes she had slept in overnight, tossing them into the hamper. It was out of respect for Adora - she cleaned her entire damn room, might as well keep it clean for at LEAST two days. Catra slipped the pj shorts on along with the top, looking at herself in the mirror. Christ, she was a mess. The bags beneath her eyes were almost designer, and her hair was stuck off like a broom. She stretched her arms high and, with a yawn, crept out of her room and shut the door to let Adora sleep some more.

Wandering into the bathroom, she went ahead and brushed her teeth, going about her morning routine. She stared at herself in the mirror, squinting her eyes at her own reflection. Grabbing the brush on the bathroom counter, she brushed through her hair. It didn’t help a lot, but at least it wasn’t unbearably messy anymore. She didn’t want Adora seeing her like this. She’s seen her like this before, but.. Catra didn’t particularly _like_ looking like a slob in the morning. Any time she could fix herself up before Adora saw her, she did. It was kind of unfair, because Adora always woke up looking like a goddess. So much so that it was kind of sickening. Then again, maybe Catra just thought that Adora looked immaculate no matter what she did. 

Catra stared back at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes wandered and fixed on her cheek. She paused, lifting her palm to touch it softly, in the exact place Adora had kissed last night.

Wow. Adora had kissed her cheek last night. Such a minor act of affection, but it meant a lot to Catra.

She graced her fingertips over the area, and for a split moment she felt like she could still feel Adora’s lips against her cheek. Her heart fluttered at the thought - but her doting soon faded into gut-wrenching uncertainty. 

To put it simply, Catra was confused. Elated that she had such a nice night with Adora, but she was still _very_ confused. She had no idea if Adora’s affection was purely a result of her being high, or something real. It’s not like she was going to ask, either. That was much too awkward, and considering her history with confrontation, it just wasn’t happening. No matter how much it was eating her alive, she had to keep her mouth shut. Besides, Adora was so damn high that she probably doesn’t even remember half the shit she did. 

Catra groaned. She needed a joint to take her mind off of this. She was a little antsy. Catra estimated that Adora probably wouldn’t be up for at least another couple of hours. She seemed to be out-cold when Catra left the room.

The feline wandered into the kitchen first, grabbing an apple from the fridge. She bit into it and rummaged through the pantry to grab something else, but came up short. With a shrug, Catra headed to grab her secret stash of weed and a few rolling papers from the kitchen cupboards above the stove. She hid weed here and there around the apartment so that she could access it whenever. She was particularly lazy. It was all stored in smell-proof containers, though. If not, the entire apartment would smell like weed and Adora would flip her lid. 

Catra made her way to the small balcony attached to the apartment. It was really small. Small enough to fit two people, and that’s pretty much it. Even _that_ was pushing it. Although, it was nice to have a balcony at all, since a lot of cheaper apartments don’t. They got lucky with this apartment being both cheap and comfortable to live in. This side of town wasn’t uppity or fancy like the rest of the city - it was downtown, a more mellow atmosphere. People gave less of a shit down here than they would up in the heart of the city. 

Weed was legal where the girls resided, so Catra had no problem going out onto the balcony to smoke every now and then. It’s not like she could get in trouble for it. After all, she was minding her own business at her own place. She preferred to smoke inside where privacy was a given, but Adora hated when she did that - and, technically, she wasn't supposed to do that because it wasn't _her_ place exactly. So, out of consideration for Adora and a fear of getting kicked out, Catra decided that she’d bring her supplies out onto the balcony and set up camp there. She already had a small stool out there for whenever she did smoke. It was a cozy little spot, she had to admit.

Catra stepped out onto the balcony, the sun hitting her eyes. She winced, covering the rays with her forearm, taking a seat on the stool. It was a gorgeous day out, and the sun was warm on her fur. The birds were chirping with early morning excitement, and the city below her was just waking up. A few cars drove by, but not many, since it was still so early. She finished her apple, chucking the core over the balcony without a care.

Grinding up some of her weed and sprinkling it onto one of the rolling papers, she stifled a yawn. Why the hell was she yawning - she’d just slept for _hours_. She licked the sticky side of it and rolled it up into a joint, with absolutely no struggle at all. She was practically a professional at rolling joints by now. Sitting back against the balcony’s ledge with a sigh, she began to soak up the gentle morning. 

Catra pulled out her lighter and lit the tip of the joint, taking a few small breaths before drawing in a big one, and then exhaling smoke. She let the joint burn on and smoked it, allowing her body to relax and her worries to fade. She watched as more cars began driving by and people began walking to work. It sure was beautiful from all the way up here. They were on the fourth floor of the apartment building, so they were a fair ways up from the ground. It was interesting to watch all of the people below. They were so tiny, almost like ants. 

Weed didn’t affect Catra the way it affected Adora - Catra was a regular smoker, so her tolerance was obviously higher and she was able to handle a larger quantity of weed and not lose her marbles like Adora did. Besides, Catra was smoking it instead of consuming an edible - which made a big difference, too. Edibles were usually more powerful and gave you a longer and stronger high than just smoking weed. A packed joint like this didn’t send Catra into space or anything. However, it did relax her, and put her into a bit of a fog, but a good fog. She wasn’t so hyper, and her mind stopped racing with so many thoughts. She was a little slower, and more mellowed out than she would be sober. She also felt happier, and found a lot of things funny. She was overall a little looser. It was just a nice way to be. Her disorder made it hard to function sometimes. 

She finished her joint, flicking the roach of it out over the balcony. Not the classiest way of doing things, but this was Catra, after all. She sat there for a while, admiring the weather the earth offered today. Yeah, she had a lot on her mind, especially in regards to Adora and complex feelings. But she felt a little better now. 

 

Adora stirred beneath the covers, her eyes slowly fluttering open. The warmth of the sun gracing her skin was a nice way to wake up. Yawning wide, she held her weight up on her elbow, rubbing the back of her neck. A groan escaped her lips - ugh, she felt less than stellar. Groggier than usual. She turned her attention to the sun beaming through the window, but soon noticed that the window looked a little different than it usually does. She blinked, and her eyes fixed on the bedsheets - they weren’t hers. Her eyes wandered her surroundings, and it finally came together that she was in Catra’s room. 

Adora lifted herself up, sitting upright. She was definitely groggy, and very confused. Why was she in Catra’s bed? And where was Catra? She was nowhere to be seen. Adora eyed the dresser, and one of the drawers were still open. She hadn’t left it like that. Catra must have been up and dressed. Did she sleep in the same bed as Catra? 

Adora’s mind raced. She was awfully perplexed, attempting to channel her energy into focusing on _why_ she was in Catra’s bed, and what she could remember from last night. 

Okay. She was cleaning Catra’s room... her memory of that was clear. She found her art…that was clear. She went out into the living room to continue reading her book… _thats_ when her memory began to fade into an uncomfortable haze of nonsense. She’d eaten those gummy bears… 

Adora’s face lit up, remembering a key point from last night. She recalled Catra coming home, and explaining to her that she had eaten some of her edibles by accident. She made the connection that she was obviously high yesterday. She scowled at the thought. It wasn’t exactly her fault.. well, maybe she should’ve known better than to eat candy hidden in Catra’s room, but she digressed.  
Adora knew that Catra probably saw her as an incoherent babbling mess, which was embarrassing enough - but she couldn’t even remember anything, so she had no idea of what she might have said. That in itself was a little alarming. What was so damn fun about this? Biting her lip, a bit of worry washed over her. What _did_ she say? And why the hell was she in Catra’s bed? What _happened_ last night?

She recalled feeling relaxed, and laughing with Catra. She recalled Catra’s arms around her waist at one point. She vaguely remembers Catra climbing into bed beside her. Memories were coming back to her, but slowly. Her eyebrows knitted as she sat there, engrossed in thought. She recalled… _snuggling with Catra?_

Her face festered with uncertainty. She stared at the sheets covering her legs, and then to the pillow beside her. Did her and Catra sleep together in the same bed? Why? Did something happen that she wasn’t aware of?

Maybe she was overthinking it. Catra probably brought her into her bed because she wanted to keep an eye on her. She was probably just concerned, and wanted to be in close quarters with her, just in case. However…she remembers being awfully comfortable, and feeling Catra’s warm body against her own, a comfort she wasn’t too familiar with.

She guessed that the only way to know for sure was to ask Catra directly. 

Adora slowly crawled out of bed, her feet meeting the floor. Remarkably, she felt well-rested, but had a hint of nauseated feeling. She supposed anyone would after getting that high. She wasn’t high anymore, at least. It must have worn off as she slept. She was aware that weed helped you sleep, seeing first-hand what it does to Catra. How long _did_ she sleep? She had no clue. Her mind was profoundly muddled. 

Adora made her way into her own room to change, but didn’t see Catra anywhere in the apartment on her way there. She changed into a white tank top and jeans. Even her lounge outfits were more put together than Catra’s. 

She headed into the bathroom to carry out her mourning routine, glancing in the mirror. Her hair wasn’t the nicest at the moment. She’d slept in her ponytail - she was probably too high to remember to take it out. She fixed it up and pulled the band out, pulling it all back again and situating the band around her hair. Smoothing out the flyaways and making it look pretty, she slid a hair pin with a flower on it into her hair for added elegance. She made her way out into the living room. 

”Catra?” Adora’s voice was was met with silence. She stood in the middle of the living room, wondering where Catra could’ve gone. She wasn’t in the kitchen, or the bathroom, or the hallway - ah, wait. The balcony. 

Adora walked in the direction of the balcony, sliding open the door.

”Um, hey,” Adora poked her head out from inside. Catra jumped, visibly frightened by her presence. 

”Agh! Um, good morning. Last time I saw ya you were out cold. Where did you come from?”

Adora gave an awkward laugh. “Aha, yeah. Um, I came from your room.” 

She slid her body through the crack of the door, joining Catra out on the balcony. Catra noted the flower in her hair, and her flattering outfit. This is what she meant by Adora looking so good in the morning that it was almost sickening. Seriously, what the fuck. 

There was silence for a moment as Adora’s eyes wandered the bustling cars and people below them. 

”Gosh, It’s really pretty out today.” Adora chimed in to break the silence. She noted the awkward tension in the air.

”Oh, yeah. Super pretty.” Catra nodded, but her eyes weren’t exactly on anything but Adora. 

”Listen,” Adora took a deep breath, looking to Catra. “What the hell happened last night? Can you, like, fill me in? I only remember some things, but I want to know the entire picture. Why was I in your room?” 

Catra snorted. “Man, you were high as all hell. Note for the future - don’t eat anything you find in my drawers. They’re there for a reason.”

Adora leaned her weight on the balcony’s ledge. She laughed, but it wavered slightly.

”Duly noted. I can’t believe you do that for fun.”

”You don’t have a tolerance, Adora. Of course it fucked you up pretty bad. If I were to eat those it’d give me a good high, but it wouldn’t do much aside from that. Also, you were in my bed because I tried to bring you to your own to rest, but you insisted on sleeping in my room.”

Adora’s eyes glanced to the papers and weed sitting on the ledge beside Catra. She’d already smoked up this morning. She could tell by her relaxed demeanor. That outfit she was wearing paired with her messy hair was awfully cute.

”Haaa, jeez, why would I do that?” 

”You said you didn’t wanna be lonely. Then you said that the bed was cotton candy.” Catra had a smirk on her face, recalling the funny things Adora had said.

”Um.. mind filling me in on what else I said?”

Catra looked to the street below, silent for a moment. She didn’t know how to bring up any of the questionable things Adora had done, so she stuck to the basics.

”Ah, you asked if I’d ever felt like a rocketship. You also said you were the kool-aid man and one point, and I fucking lost it.” Catra laughed at the memory. She looked back at Adora, who wrinkled her nose.

”That is so stupid. I feel so stupid.”

”Nahhhh, it was funny.” Catra assured her, before falling silent again. She considered telling Adora about what she’d said - or, did, rather - but she decided against it. She’d have to bring it up at some point.. she knew it would eat her alive. Now wasn’t the right time, though. 

”You are stupid.” Catra said, sticking her tongue out at Adora, but her smile made the insult rather soft. Adora just rolled her eyes, turning her body to face away from Catra, resting her elbows on the ledge to support her weight. Her eyes fixed on the view below them. 

Silence fell like a blanket between the two for an uncomfortable amount of time. They were both deciphering their own thoughts, trying to figure out if they should say anything. Adora had questions, but didn’t know how to go about asking them. Catra had questions, too. Catra eyed Adora’s upper back and her shoulders, which were visible thanks to the tank top she was wearing. Catra did that a lot. Any time she could sneak a glance at Adora, she would. 

Adora was the first to speak up again, but she didn’t look Catra in the eye. Her voice was soft, but you could tell she was nervous.

”I.. don’t know if I’m remembering this correctly, so _please_ correct me if I’m wrong, but.. were we snuggling last night?”

Catra’s eyes widened and she looked down and to the side, clearing her throat. 

”Oh, uh.. yeah. I mean, you wanted me to take a nap with you, so I agreed. I was gonna give you space, but you kinda just.. snuggled into me for dear life.” 

Adora’s face burned. She lifted her hand and hid her face into her palm. She gave an audible groan as she realized that her fears were confirmed - god knows what else she might’ve said or done to Catra. 

”What else.” She dared to look back at Catra, but through the slit in her fingers.

”Hey, chill. It’s okay. High people get super snuggly. It’s a mood,” Catra brushed it off, waving her hand in dismissal. “You did.. say that I was pretty, though. And I was like, wow, the lesbian jumped out.” Catra masked her nervousness with humor, and a laugh followed, but she averted her eyes from the blonde.

Adora fell silent. She desperately wished she’d remembered the whole thing. She took her hand down, and turned around again, leaning her back to the balcony once more. Her eyes wandered everything but Catra. 

”I mean…you’re not wrong.” Adora simply stated, tapping her fingertips against the ledge. 

”What?” Catra looked towards Adora, her interest peaked.

”Ha, um. Yeah. About that. I’m..I’m having a lot of thoughts lately,” Adora began, barely handling the thick awkwardness that coated the air. “Women are, like. Do you… can you tell me what its like to kiss a woman and be with one? I mean, I just - my mind won’t let up lately. I’m thinking I might actually be gay. I don’t know.”

Catra eyed Adora and she quirked a brow at her, before sneering. 

”Stop it. Don’t look at me like that. It was a genuine question.” Adora huffed, snarling at Catra’s response.

”Ha, you’re gay,” Catra simply said, followed by a snicker. “Chances are, if you think you’re gay, you’re gay. It works like that. You been thinkin’ about the ladies lately, huuuh? Oooh, Adora likes the ladieeees.” Catra was teasing the blonde, something she was _way_ too good at. 

”Shut up! Ugh! You make this so hard to talk about.” Adora crossed her arms, her brows furrowing as she glared piercingly at Catra. The feline just stuck her tongue out and flashed her fangs.

”You’re insufferable. Answer my question already.” Adora insisted. 

”Alright, alright. Hmm. That’s a very loaded question, I’ll tell you that.” Catra turned her body to face Adora, resting her elbow on the ledge of the balcony, scratching her head. “Kissing a woman is kind of..magical? I don’t know if that’s the right word, but I’m gonna roll with it. Everything about a woman is just - ugh, wow. Their bodies, their faces, they’re so goddamn pretty. It feels _amazing_ to kiss one. Girls’ lips are real soft, y’see.” Catra nodded as she spoke, enlightening Adora with her knowledge.

Adora found herself staring at Catra’s lips as she spoke about kissing girls. The truth was, Adora didn’t exactly want to kiss just any girl. Sure, it’d be nice, but the girl she had in mind was right in front of her. 

”Umm.. what else. Being with a girl is really nice, too. Not only do you get to kiss all the time, but you also get to hold her hand and cuddle and shit. Also, girls are really hot.” 

Adora couldn’t help but giggle. ”Yeah, I’m aware. I’ve spent a lot of my life staring at women. Just now realizing it, but.. still.”

“Yeah. Girls are _so_ fucking hot.” 

“That’s..super gay, Catra.”

”Your point?” Catra smirked, adjusting herself on the stool. “If you haven’t noticed, I am super gay.”

Adora smiled, enjoying their casual banter. The awkwardness had lifted a little, at least. The worries were still present in the back of their minds, though.

”Alright, the lesbian avenger. Do you want pancakes?” Adora laughed as she questioned Catra, and Catra nodded in response, giving her two thumbs up.

”I would love some pancakes.”

”Okay, c’mon.” Adora waved her hand as she walked back inside. 

Catra sat there for a moment, rethinking their conversation. Adora must have no recollection of kissing her. Yeah, it was only on the cheek, but..still. Maybe she _was_ just high. Catra sat there and lingered for a few moments. Would she ever bring it up? She was dying to know if Adora meant something by the kiss or not. However, she refused to ask, at least at the moment. She guessed she’d just have to allow her confusion to fester.

”Are you coming?” Adora yelled to her from indoors, and Catra immediately hopped off the stool and wandered inside with her weed and papers. She placed it all down on the coffee table, joining Adora in the kitchen.

Adora wasn’t exactly settled, either. She wondered if she’d done anything else. She decided to push the thought out of her mind, for now. Catra didn’t seem mad at her. She must not have done anything _too_ out of line. 

“I’ve got munchies for days.” Catra said, making her way to the counter, hopping up onto it and taking a seat on the surface beside Adora and the stove. Adora eyed her. Sit on a chair like a normal person.

”I’m sure you do,” Adora nodded, opening up the cupboards to grab the supplies. She opened the fridge and obtained all the items needed to make pancakes. This was a usual routine. She did this at least three times a weak. At _least_. Catra really liked pancakes.

”You had munchies yesterday, too. I got you pretzels,” Catra began. “Oh, you were also really amazed at how good the orange juice I gave you tasted. It’s the same orange juice we always buy, though, which is what made it funny.”

Adora shook her head as she uttered a ‘tsk, tsk’. 

”Yeah, I’m never eating anything of yours without asking next time. That won’t be happening again.”

”Damn. So getting high with me is still a hard no?” Catra gave a fake whine, her ears drooping. She seemed a little defeated, but not drastically, since she expected that response anyways. 

”Obviously, Catra. Yesterday was nothing more than an accident. Don’t expect to come home and find me high ever again.”

Catra just laughed, swinging her legs out over the counter as she watched Adora. 

The two of them spent the morning talking and laughing as they usually did. Catra still felt uncertain - and, admittedly, hung onto this false sense of hope that _maybe_ Adora meant something by kissing her cheek last night. Although, the fact that she didn’t even remember it didn’t make for a verdict in Catra’s favor. She wondered she'd ever have the guts to bring it up to Adora. She figured that was a problem for future Catra. For right now, she just wanted to enjoy some pancakes with her best friend.


	4. Faded With Feelings - Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra and Adora go about their work day and come home to exciting plans of a movie night. Building a fort as if they were kids again, they hide away to watch a movie and find themselves more comfortable than ever beneath fairy lights and blankets. Inside their minds, however, feelings are festering and becoming harder and harder to ignore. They both assume that neither of them have feelings for each other, and dwell on it internally. However, they couldn't be more wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaa theyre gonna confess their feeeeelings in the next chapterrrr.. not sure where i'd take it from there, though. if anyone has any suggestions on where i should take the story id love to hear em! if i cant think of anything ill close it off on a good note. thank you for your continued support!! <3

The two girls enjoyed their day off together. They hadn’t had a day off together in quite a while. They spent it talking, eating pancakes, and playing board games (Adora's suggestion, naturally). Normal best friend activities. The only catch was that both of them were _incredibly_ gay for each other. They were both so oblivious. Even with the casual _flirting_ they always did, they both assumed that neither of them had feelings for each other. Catra was hoping that Adora did after that night, but a huge part of her still doubted it. Catra felt as though Adora wanted someone better. Someone more tactful, someone just like Adora - put together. Catra was a bit of a mess. It wasn’t her fault, either, she just had a different personality. Adora assumed the same - why would Catra want someone so uptight and against everything Catra was for? She probably wanted someone that would smoke with her, play video games with her, and do reckless things with her. Adora just didn’t assume herself to be a romantic candidate in Catra’s mind. She knew she loved her as a best friend, but she couldn’t help thinking that Catra just didn’t want her in that way. Both were dead set in self doubt and insecurities, hindering their ability to see the true feelings they held for each other.

The next day, both girls had to drag themselves back to work again. Catra was particularly displeased. She hated work more than Adora did. Adora could stand to work and push through it until she got home, but Catra loved to complain and groan to her coworkers the _entire_ shift. Adora was glad she didn’t work at the same place Catra did.

The two went about their shifts as usual - Adora had a 9-5, and Catra had a 12-8 shift today. Catra’s hours were a bit all over the place. The grocery store she worked at really enjoyed messing with her. Adora’s workplace was a little more orderly and structured, alike her. Normally, her shifts were 9-5 every day. Sometimes she’d get an evening to closing shift, but it wasn’t very often. Catra’s hours, however, were anywhere from early morning to lunch time, evening to closing. It was never very set in stone. They didn’t get home at the same time very often, so both girls were used to being alone for a couple of hours here and there.

Adora returned home from work with two coffees in hand, her keys jingling and shoes shuffling as she entered into the apartment. She removed her outerwear and placed her drinks on the coffee table, setting her bags down beside it. She had the place to herself for a little while. 

Adora wandered into the kitchen and leaned her back against the counter, taking out her phone. She was particularly tired after a busy day at the coffee shop. She was exhausted, but she was looking forward to tonight. Her and Catra had discussed having a movie night yesterday. 

Adora opened up her text messages, and began typing a message to Catra.

_Heyyyy, just wondering if we were still on for movie night?_

She wasn't expecting an answer right away, but got one anyways. 

_hell yea !!! what movie are we gonna watch :-)_

-

_Anything you want. Also, you’d better not be texting during your shift. I didn’t mean to bother, I just texted you on the off chance that you were on break._

-

_well youre in luck i am on break_  
_also chill out youre not my MOM_  
_:P_  
_anyways i cant think of any good movies to watch so lets watch something random on netflix on my laptop_

-

 _Sounds good to me. I’ll get everything set up. Do you want popcorn?_

-

_DUH_  
_also_  
_can we PLEASE make a pillow fort_

-

_Catra, you are 23 years old._

-

_………we’re gonna make a pillow fort and there will be lots of blankets and it will be super comfy i wont let you ruin this for me_

Adora started laughing, Her smile spreading from ear to ear. Catra was so stupid. So adorably stupid.

 _Okay whatever :P grow up sometime would you_  
_I’ll let you go. I hope the rest of your shift goes well._

-

_thanks! ttyl <3_

Adora took a deep breath as she placed the phone down on the counter. A pillow fort did sound fun, but it also meant a mess she had to clean up later on. Catra’s happiness was among her top priorities, though, so she wandered over to the closet where the extra pillows and blankets were without a second thought. She opened the closet door, staring at the mounds of blankets and pillows they’d amassed over the years. A lot of them were Catra’s. Fleece throws with really weird designs on them, and pillows that weren’t your ordinary run-of-the-mill pillows. Catra had one shaped like a donut stuffed in the closet on top of a couple of heart pillows, and a green alien pillow. Adora rolled her eyes. There were about three pillows that were normal. She stretched her body and leaned on her tippy toes to retrieve them, tossing the pillows onto the couch to lay until Catra got home. She took out the throws and a few heavier blankets to accompany them, and piled them onto the couch, as well. Shutting the closet door, she made her way back into the kitchen to search through the cupboards for some popcorn. 

She found a box of poppable microwave popcorn in the back of the pantry, placing it on the counter. She wouldn’t make it yet, because it’d be stale by the time Catra got home at 8. She just wanted the supplies out and ready - actually building the fort and making the popcorn was part of the fun. Adora kept herself busy for the next couple of hours, entertaining herself in the usual mundane ways Catra wouldn’t approve of.

Adora was sat on the couch doing a crossword puzzle beside the mounds of blankets and pillows. She was cozy in fuzzy socks and was sporting a light pink romper with a flower design. She’d changed from her work outfit when when she got home to keep it wrinkle-free for work tomorrow. Rompers were comfortable for her - just one piece of clothing, no hassle with shirts or pants. It cut off mid-thigh and exposed her shoulders, and she looked quite nice, especially considering the fact that she was just lounging around. She rarely looked bad, though. 

Her eyebrows were furrowed in thought as she tried to figure out the puzzle in front of her. She bit the back of her pencil, struggling with a section of the crossword. Her eyes veered to the clock on the wall. It was nearing 8:12, which meant Catra would be home any minute.

” _What’s up, fuckers??_ ” Catra’s voice boomed through the apartment as her foot kicked the door open. She was mocking one of her favorite vines. Catra’s loud voice turned into an even louder laugh as she tossed her bag onto the ground, shutting the door behind her.

Adora winced at the sheer volume of that girls voice. She was right on time, though.

”Ah. Ow. My ears.” Adora looked at Catra, glowering at her. 

”Oh, shit. Adora. I thought you’d be in your room or something. Sorry ‘bout that.” Catra flashed the blonde a sheepish smile. Adora just smiled back, a little giggle slipping from her lips, followed by an eye roll. She set her crossword down and got up from the couch, taking Catra’s coffee and holding it out to her. Catra’s eyes wandered her body and her outfit for a split moment. Damn, she looked good. Rompers were adorable on her.

”Huh? What’s.. this for?” Catra looked at it, quirking a brow at her best friend. Adora just shrugged. 

”Just thought you’d like one. I do work at a coffee shop. Might as well, you know?”

”Wow, uh.. thanks!” Catra nodded, taking the coffee from Adora’s hands.

“Now, you might wanna heat it up, cause its been sitting there for a while.”

“Cooool. I’ll heat it up in a sec.”

The blankets and pillows caught Catra’s eye, and her entire face lit up. Her eyes seemed to sparkle with excitement.

“Fuuuuck yes. Pillow fort! Pillow fort! Pillow fort!” Catra chanted the words as she wandered towards the mountain of soft items, placing her coffee back down on the coffee table and completely forgetting about it. Her mind was fixated on something else now. Typical Catra.

Adora took Catra's coffee and placed it in the fridge, reserving it for later when Catra might want it. She heard Catra laughing, obviously excited to build this pillow fort. A soft smile fell onto Adora’s features as she listened to her best friend’s enthusiasm. Adora grabbed a chair from the kitchen table and brought it out into the living room, and then another one, along with some duct tape.

“Here, we’ll be needing these to hold up some of the blankets. We can drape a big one over the back of the couch and use the chairs on either side to keep it up. I’ll tape the blanket to the chair so that it’ll be stable.” Adora said, putting the chairs in place.

Catra nodded, humming to herself as she sifted through the blankets, finding one that would be suitable for the roof of their fort. She retrieved a big one that wasn’t too heavy, draping it over the back of the couch and stretching it out over the chairs. Adora taped it to the wooden part of the chair in order to help hold it up. Catra slid the couch cushions out and stacked them around the perimeter of the blanket to build a wall. Adora helped, draping a couple more blankets over the cushions to create a wall that didn’t allow any light in. 

“Man, this is fun. Do you remember when we used to build pillow forts all the time?” Catra questioned as she knelt down, making sure everything was stable and in place. She didn’t want the entire thing to fall down on them. 

“I do,” Adora said with a soft smile, watching Catra work. She knelt down beside her and grabbed one of the big comforters from the pile and placed it on the floor for a cushion, smoothing it out. It was beginning to come together and look really cozy.

“I miss that. We were so, like..little back then. Now our pillow forts have to be much bigger. We can’t fit into a small one like we did when we were kids.” Catra said, followed by a soft laugh.

Adora laughed, too, grabbing Catra’s oddly shaped pillows and placing them inside the fort. “Yeah.” She agreed, watching Catra place the regular pillows inside the fort to increase its comfort level. Adora’s eyes lay on the girl for a while, since she was too busy building the fort to notice. Adora watched her with a soft smile. She almost saw Catra as a kid again for a split second. She remembered Catra’s squeaky voice and cute little smile, and messy hair to match - not much has changed. They were just older now. Their bodies changed, their features changed, but Catra was still the cute, adventurous little girl she always was inside. Being an adult was hard, but the one comfort that remained consistent throughout their entire lives was each other. Adora found it hard not to think back to the past and reminisce - everything was so easy. No jobs, no rules, no limitations. Their imaginations took them so many places, and whenever they were together, they were stronger than ever. She began thinking about how lucky she was to have someone with her - someone that knew her inside out. Someone who watched her grow up and grew up _with_ her, by her side, through every hardship and every success. Catra was always there. She had a friend for life. Nothing could separate them at this point. They were much too invested in each other - they needed each other. Adora had never been in love, but...

“Almost done!” Catra’s voice shook with excitement, completely interrupting Adora’s thoughts. Adora blinked, tuning back into reality, turning her head to the fort. It was set up meticulously, blankets draped over chairs and walls built with fluffy pillows and cushions. The inside was littered with pillows, too, and it looked awfully snug. 

“Just need one more blanket over here..” Catra murmured to herself, grabbing the last blanket and draping it over the side, nearly closing off the fort. They left a small hole to crawl through so they could get inside. 

“Man, this is awesome!” Catra beamed, looking at Adora with bright eyes. 

“It’s lovely.” Adora agreed, offering a smile back to her best friend. “Good job. I think we’re gonna have an awesome movie night in here.”

“Hell yes. Oh!” Catra’s ears perked up with a realization. “Fairy lights! I’ll be right back. I’ve got battery operated fairy lights just chilling in my room, never being used. This is the perfect opportunity.” 

“Oh, right. I put them in the storage bin in your closet.” Adora nodded to her, and Catra disappeared into her room.

God, Catra was cute when she was excited. 

Adora headed into the kitchen to begin making the popcorn. She tossed one of the bags into the microwave and set the time, gathering a big bowl to put it in. She listened to the kernels begin to pop after a minute or so, and heard Catra return to the living room. 

“Got ‘em! Also my laptop!” Catra yelled out, crawling into the pillow fort to set up camp. She turned on the fairy lights and used the duct tape to help hold them up, all around the inside of the fort. Opening her laptop and bringing up Netflix, she positioned it, making sure to leave a spot for her and Adora to sit. It was a bit of a tight squeeze, but any excuse to get close to Adora was a good one. 

The microwave beeped indicating that the popcorn was done, and Adora took it out, opening up the bag and dumping the contents of it into the bowl. She carried it with two hands and continued to the living room, where she caught a glimpse of Catra’s tail swaying and poking out of the entrance of their fort. Approaching the fort, she stood there and watched her tail wiggle.

“So, you gonna get high before this or what? You usually have a joint after work.” Adora asked, tossing some popcorn into her mouth.

“Yeah, smoked it on the way home,” Catra responded, her voice raised so that Adora could hear her through the walls of the fort. “I figured I’d be way too jittery to enjoy a movie if I didn’t have one. Besides, I want to relax tonight. I don’t want my stupid brain fucking that up.”

“Understandable.” 

“Anyways, get in here! It’s so nice!”

Adora got on her knees, pushing the bowl of popcorn in first before she entered. Catra took it and set it aside, watching Adora’s head pop into the fort. 

“Woah..” Adora’s mouth lay agape at the sight - it was so cozy, and the fairy lights made a terrific touch. Catra sat there with a smile, holding out her hand to help Adora slide through and get situated. She took her hand and Catra pulled her in gently. Adora’s eyes strolled their surroundings.

“This is the coziest place I’ve ever been in.” Adora sat down, her back against the abundance of pillows set up against the couch. She wiggled her hips to get comfy, and Catra joined in beside her not long after. 

“Right? It’s just like the ones we used to make. Except..cooler, and with fairy lights.”

“I love the fairy lights. It’s so warm in here, too. I love it. I was skeptical at first if we should do it or not, but you have a way of convincing me to go along with your little ideas.”

“My ideas are _always_ good ideas, Adora.” 

“Um.. I beg to differ, but alright.” 

Catra snorted as a response, slouching against the pillows and getting comfortable. The girls’ shoulders were touching - they were in close quarters, but neither of them minded.

“Ah, hold on. It’s super warm in here. I’m putting my hair up.” Catra said as she slid the hair tie on her wrist off, gathering her bushy hair and pulling it back into a ponytail. She always had bracelets or hair ties on her wrist to compliment her outfits. Today she was wearing a simple baseball tee with gray sleeves that cut off at the elbows and a pair of jeans. A pretty casual outfit, one that was work appropriate. She situated her hair and soon enough she was sporting a messy ponytail, her bangs falling out over her face. At least the hair was off her neck. It was uncomfortable in warm places with so much goddamn hair.

Catra grabbed her laptop and began searching Netflix for something to watch. Adora’s eyes watched the screen, but they kept navigating to Catra, too. She tried not to look directly at her - since, that would be creepy, sort of. She kept sneaking glances, though - Catra looked so cute with a ponytail. Adora wished she’d do it more often. She got to see Catra’s facial features then, without all the hair in the way. Gosh, she was pretty. She had these two beautifully different eyes, and her face came complete with the cutest freckles peppering her nose and her cheeks. Her jawline was sharp and her profile was nearly perfect. Adora shook the thoughts from her head when she caught herself getting _too_ invested in them. She scolded herself internally for getting so distracted by Catra. She had to stop. If she didn’t, she knew she was in for heartbreak. She didn’t want to catch feelings - well, she already had - but she didn’t want to let it control her whenever she was around Catra. She was either delusional or dismissing feelings that were _clearly_ there. She knew it in the back of her head, but tried to avoid admitting it to herself. The fact of the matter was that she’d fallen for Catra and that wasn’t going to change. She just wanted to save herself the heartbreak. Catra didn’t like her like that. She had to accept it.

“What’s good here to watch. Ugh, man, we have so many movies to choose from but I still can’t pick anything. Any suggestions would be nice.” Catra huffed. She searched endlessly through the options of series and movies. She was so indecisive that she couldn’t pick one. 

“Hmm..” Adora squinted at the screen, pointing to one of the movies that caught her eye - Coraline. “Hey, didn’t you adore this movie when it came out?”

“Coraline? Oh, yeah, that movie is sick as fuck. Would you want to watch it, though?”

“I’ll watch anything. I haven’t seen it before, so I’d like to.”

“Really? It’s scary, Adora. Well, scary to kids mostly. It’s just got a creepy feel to it. Will you get scaaaawed?” Catra sneered, her tone of voice obviously indicating that she was mocking Adora. The blonde was known for getting easily scared when it came to horror-esque movies, even if they were animated.

“Um. No,” Adora pushed Catra playfully, and she heard Catra snicker. “Shut-up, I won’t get scared. It’s a kids movie, right? How scary could it be?”

“I dunno, I wouldn’t take a kid to see it.” 

Catra didn’t say anything else, but the smirk on her face said a lot. She clicked on the movie and it began to play.

The two were awfully comfortable in their little hideaway. The apartment was quiet aside from the movie playing, and the fort was nice and warm. Just the two of them, enjoying a movie, and no other cares in the world. As the movie continued playing, Catra grabbed the bowl of popcorn and set it into Adora’s lap, and they both ate the popcorn idly as they watched the movie play out. About twenty minutes in, Adora was a little unsettled by the dark nature of the movie.

“Okay.. the animation is cool, but this is pretty creepy. Also, what’s up with her mom? Coraline told her that she almost _died_ and she didn’t even care. That’s kinda sad.”

“Shh. It’s, like, essential to the plot of the movie. Her parents are too busy to pay attention to her, which is why she goes off into this other world where things are supposedly better. Shut up and watch it.”

Adora scowled and stuck her tongue out at Catra for telling her to shut up. Catra just glanced over to her and flashed a smile, displaying her fangs. 

The scary parts began to roll around, and Catra noticed Adora wince whenever something creepy came on the screen. She felt her body quiver against her shoulder. 

“Oh, my god. They have buttons for eyes!” Adora said, verbalizing her discomfort once again. She turned her head to look away from the screen. “That’s so fucking creepy!”

Catra just shook her head. “You are such a baby sometimes.” 

“I am NOT a baby. That’s really weird.”

Adora eventually turned her head to focus back on the movie again. They watched more, and Adora made every effort to point out the scary parts. 

“Oh, god. Those ghost children are the creepiest thing.” Adora turned her head again, but this time towards Catra, shoving her face into the crook of Catra’s neck. She grumbled as she spoke. “This movie has such a creepy vibe, ugh. I’m gonna have nightmares.”

Catra’s cheeks warmed at the sudden contact in such a sensitive area.

“Ha.. see? You’re a baby. It’s a cartoon, Adora. It’s not even _that_ scary. Yeah, it’s got a creep factor, but its nothing like an actual horror movie. I’ve seen sooo much worse. But I can turn it off if you want.”

“Mm…no. I can do this.” Adora assured her, lifting her head again. She grimaced at Catra, bringing her hand up to flick Catra’s cheek. “Also, stop calling me a baby, dipstick.”

“Hey-! Ow!” Catra laughed, rubbing her cheek with her palm where Adora had flicked her. “It ain’t my fault you’re a baby. Sorry ‘bout it, but it’s true.”

“Whatever.”

The movie continued, and Adora found herself getting a little sleepy. It was just so comfortable in their little fort, especially with the fairy lights and the pillows, and Catra’s warmth beside her. The cozy atmosphere would make anyone drowsy. She stifled her sleepiness for a while, but found herself succumbing to her fatigue soon enough. She was tired from work to begin with, and the comfy little area they were in wasn’t helping her stay awake. She yawned, resting her cheek on Catra’s shoulder. The movie was nearing its end.

Catra noticed the blonde was getting tired, and paused the movie. It was nearly over, anyways. She glanced to the popcorn in Adora’s lap. They hadn’t even uncovered the bottom of the bowl yet. 

“You sleepy?” Catra asked, looking down at the blonde resting against her. 

“Mhmmm. Sorry. Work was tough today. Ugh, you should’ve been there.”

“Hey, I get it. No worries. What happened?”

“Nothing in particular, it was just so busy. This guy came in and kept asking for bagels…when there were clearly no bagels left. Then, this lady kept coming back and telling me that I didn’t make her coffee right, when I followed her directions _exactly_.” 

“Hey, some people are just assholes. It’s not your fault.” Catra assured the girl, allowing her to rest on her shoulder for support. 

“True. Sorry I can’t watch more with you. I can try to stay awake, if you wanna watch another movie.” 

Catra shook her head, waving her hand. “No, I really enjoyed the movie. Seeing you quiver with fear was kind of satisfying.” She snickered, but all Adora did was groan in response. 

Catra set her laptop down, and turned her body to face Adora. The sleepy blonde whined when her comfortable shoulder pillow had moved out of her reach. Catra guided her down, so that she could rest her head on some actual pillows. Adora yawned again, her eyes fluttering open to look up at Catra. The feline tilted her head, soon deciding to lay down to join Adora. She faced her, and she felt a yawn of her own coming on. They were both engrossed in comfort and warmth.

“You gonna sleep in here tonight?” Catra asked, positioning her cheek against one of the pillows, nuzzling into it and allowing her yawn to come through. 

“Yea, maybe.” Adora nodded, her eyes wandering Catra’s features. “Ha, you’re tired, too. Lets have a sleepover in here.”

Catra smiled, a laugh slipping past her lips. “Yeah, it’s so comfortable in here. I guess we could camp out here for the night. Let me grab a blanket from the fort. There’s plenty to spare.” 

Catra crawled past Adora and poked her upper body out of the fort, stretching her arm up to grab and slide one of the lesser needed blankets off the top. She pulled it into the fort, placing it over Adora. She turned her body to close the laptop and set it away, making space for them to lie comfortably. She heard Adora yawn again, and turned back to lay next to her once more.

Adora smiled, lifting the blanket and tossing it over Catra, too, so that they were sharing it. 

“Oh, god, I’m like.. bathing in comfort. It’s so nice in here.” Adora spoke softly, as she was obviously tired.

“I know, thanks to me.” Catra settled herself into the blanket, allowing her body to relax and loosen beneath the lights. Adora’s eyes gazed at Catra momentarily, glossed over with sleepiness. 

“..What?” Catra blinked. “Is there something on my face?”

“No,” Adora said, lifting her hand to play with the loose strands of Catra’s hair framing her face. “Your hair is, like, so pretty. You could do so much with it. You should try a bun out sometime. Or a braid or something. I like it in a ponytail. It looks good.” 

Catra’s cheeked burned thanks to the intimacy of the moment. 

“Oh, um..wow, thank-you. I don’t know how to do any fancy braids or anything, though. You’d have to do it for me.”

“I could try it out before you go to work tomorrow.” Adora yawned again, her eyes closing. She was slowly surrendering to her sleepiness and the comfort of their cavern. 

“That’d be cool.” Catra said, but she went quiet soon afterwards. She watched Adora slip into sleep, nestled beneath the blanket, surrounded by an ocean of pillows. 

Her mind was blank for a while. She couldn’t take her eyes off the sleeping girl laying beside her. Adora wasn’t high this time, but they were sleeping together. It felt.. particularly nice, especially with the tenderness of the evening still fresh in her mind. Catra’s eyes studied her best friend’s face - she never exactly got a chance to look at her this close, and admire her features like this. 

Adora was the prettiest thing she’d ever seen. Ever since they were young, Catra has been staring at that blonde and blue-eyed beauty. She didn’t intend for it to be creepy - it was more of an admiration thing, and a longing type of thing. Catra was almost certain she’d never have Adora as her own, but that didn’t stop her from admiring her every chance she got. She was just so awestruck when it came to Adora. She was perfect in every way. Yeah, everyone had their flaws, but Adora was the closest thing to perfection that Catra had ever seen. Not only physically, either. Her personality was incomparible - sure, she could be uptight, but she was also the kindest soul around. She cared about everyone’s well being and always put others before herself. She had this aura that was just pleasant and always drew people in. Her laugh was the prettiest sound, and her smile was stunning. No wonder the boys fancied her so much in highschool. 

Catra’s eyes wandered to her lips - they looked so soft, so damn kissable. She kept thinking about the conversation that they had yesterday. Adora wanted to kiss a girl, and do things with women. She hadn’t dated in a while, and it was probably because she was figuring herself out, which was fair. She was probably going to branch out and try dating again at some point. The very thought irked Catra, and made her feel a little sick. She wanted Adora’s happiness, and that came first, but it would probably cost Catra a bit of her sanity. Watching the person you’ve been pining for forever be with someone else? It was an awful feeling. Catra was so jealous of all of the boys that had gotten to kiss those lips. She was jealous of the girls that would kiss those lips in the future. She wanted it to be _her_. She’d wanted to know what its like to kiss Adora for more than a decade now.

Catra rolled onto her back with a heavy sigh, looking at the fairy lights above her. Thinking about this stuff was no good for her. The more invested she got, the more it would hurt her. She was already awfully invested, though - and the poetry in her portfolio displayed that wholly. She pushed the thoughts out of her mind, closing her eyes. She eventually fell into a deep sleep beside Adora, the two basking in the comfort of their fort.


	5. Faded With Feelings - Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra and Adora are still struggling to keep their very prevalent feelings at bay. They find it getting a lot harder to keep quiet when their feelings are so loud. When Catra comes home from work to find dinner on the table complete with a candle and music, she accuses Adora of toying with her feelings. Will these two disaster lesbians finally confess their feelings?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the last chapter guys!! thank you so much for the overwhelming support ive gotten on this au, honestly some of your comments made me cry because you guys are so sweet. i havent written anything in years and the fact that so many ppl like it just warms my heart! i love creating content for the catradora fans and i cant thank you enough for supporting me through this au <3 love u bunches and bunches!!! thanks for reading <3333

The two awoke the next morning, and Adora was the first one up - as usual. She groggily pulled herself up off the floor. A victim to early morning confusion, she wondered why the bed beneath her was so hard. Rubbing her eyes, she opened them fully and was met with a view of blankets and fairy lights - oh, right. The girls had slept in the fort they made last night. Considering that she slept on the floor, she had quite a good sleep, and felt relatively rested. Scratching the back of her head, she looked to the sleeping feline beside her. A smile made its way onto her features - Catra was cute when she slept. She was cute all the time, though. 

What time was it, anyways?

Adora reached for her phone that lay dormant on the floor beside her. It barely had any charge left, but It read 8:00AM. The two had to get a move on if they wanted to get to work on time. Their shifts differed from yesterdays only slightly. Adora had a 9-5, and Catra was working a 10-6. They almost got off at the same time today. 

Adora nudged Catra’s shoulder softly, interrupting the felines sleep. Catra stirred and groaned, lifting the blanket to cover her head. 

“Five more minuteeees.” Catra whined, rolling over on her side to face away from Adora. The blonde just laughed, and nudged her even harder.

”Hey. Get up, sleepyhead. I’m gonna do your hair and stuff before work. I’ve only got an hour before I have to be in.”

”Moooooooom.” Catra groaned again, drawing a snort from Adora. The blonde lifted her hand and whapped Catra’s shoulder with the back of it - not too hard, of course - in an attempt to get her up.

”Hey! Ow!” Catra rolled over to face Adora again, slowly lifting herself up off the floor. “Alright, alright, I’m up.” She huffed. Yawning wide, she stretched out her arms and rubbed her eyes. Her hair was stuck off everywhere and still in a ponytail from last night.

”Sorry, Catra. I just don’t want you to be sleeping in and getting there last minute. Your boss is already on your case about being late all the time.”

”Mmmnnmmn.” Catra muttered beneath her breath, her sleepy eyes looking to Adora. The blonde was looking perfect in the morning as usual, of course. 

Adora reached her hand over to the brunettes hair to pat down some flyaways, grinning. “So messy. We gotta fix that. I’m gonna put a pretty braid in your hair.”

Catra just yawned. She was still trying to wake herself up. 

Adora crawled out from the fort, and was met with the sunshine illuminating the living room. She stood up and stretched, heading straight for the bathroom to begin her morning routine. Catra followed suit, but headed to her room to get herself dressed for the day. Adora was finished up relatively quickly. She changed into her work clothes and styled her hair back into her usual ponytail. Nothing fancy today. She exited the bathroom to allow Catra to get her morning routine started, too.

Soon enough, the two were all set and prepared, aside from Catra’s hair. That still needed fixing. It kind of always needed fixing. She had such an untamed bundle of hair.

“Alright, c’mere.” Adora stepped into the bathroom and got behind Catra, taking her ponytail out. She grabbed the brush lying on the bathroom counter and began brushing Catra’s hair for her. Catra blinked, looking down at the sink and allowing Adora to do whatever she wanted. Adora put the brush down once she was done and laced her fingers through Catra’s hair, which caused the feline to shiver. Adora playing with her hair felt so nice.

Adora gathered the hair and decided to put it all in a big braid. She was curious to see what it would look like on Catra. She worked her fingers and laced the strands around each other, smiling at Catra in the mirror every now and then. Catra could feel her fingertips brush against the back of her neck, sending more shivers down her spine. 

”You done yet?” Catra complained, after a measly two minutes.

”Well, you have a lot of hair. Hold on. I’m almost done.”

Catra tapped her foot against the ground, making faces in the mirror to entertain herself. Eventually, Adora was all finished. She slung the braid she’d created over Catra’s shoulder, and it fell into a beautiful side braid. Catra’s bangs remained out, framing her face.

”Ohhh!” Adora clapped her hands together, pleased with her work. “You look so cute!”

Catra blinked at her reflection, playing with the braid a little. It did look nice. Adora did a good job.

”I’m not cute,” Catra snarled. “I’m terrifying and you should fear me.” 

Adora just raised a brow at her best friend and rolled her eyes, patting Catra’s head endearingly before leaving the bathroom to get breakfast. Catra stood there for a while, staring at herself. The feeling of Adora playing with her hair was amazing. She wished she’d do that more often. Plus, now she looked nice. A little more put together than usual. 

Catra finished up in the bathroom and joined Adora in the kitchen. There wasn’t enough time for a fancy breakfast today, so Adora just tossed Catra an apple, and then retrieved one for herself, biting into it.

“Aw, what? No pancakes today?” Catra scowled at the apple, squinting her eyes at it and giving it a dirty look. Adora laughed, taking another bite of her own and rushing around the island to gather her things.

“No, sorry. It’s already 8:40, I really have to get going or I’m gonna be late. I’ll make you pancakes tomorrow morning, though, okay?” Adora nodded to Catra, sealing a promise without speaking.

“Okaaaay.” Catra whined, reluctantly biting into her apple. Definitely not as satisfying as pancakes. Catra watched Adora rush around - normally she was up at the crack of dawn to get ready for work, but neither of them had set an alarm when they were going to bed last night. It kind of just slipped their minds. They were lucky Adora woke up when she did, or else they might have slept in. 

Adora tossed her bag onto he shoulder and rummaged around for her keys. She did a mental check to make sure she had everything, before waving to Catra. 

“You be good and go to work on time, no going back to sleep.” Adora ordered, pointing a finger at Catra. 

“Okay, mom.” Catra smirked. She always got some kind of lecture from Adora before she left no matter what.

“Also, don’t let any gross dudes hit on you. You’re looking pretty with that braid, you know how men can be.” Adora laughed, but her sentence held much sincerity. Catra rolled her eyes and leaned against the doorframe of the kitchen, chomping out of her apple.

“Thank-you. I won’t let any gross dudes hit on me. They should know that I’m gay, anyways. Anyone with a single brain cell could be able to tell from a mile away.”

Adora flashed Catra a smile before heading out the door, shutting it behind her. Catra could hear her footsteps echo over the stairs outside the apartment door. She stood in the same position for a while and finished her apple, pushing her figure off the doorframe with a sigh. She turned to toss the apple core in the garbage. 

Man. Adora was something else. Catra felt that the affection Adora was giving her was a little offputting - only because she was still on the fence about what happened that night. Their best friend banter was the same as always, but..Catra found it hard not to take things too seriously after that night. Maybe she was being stupid. She probably was. Why did Adora care if anyone hit on her? Adora was probably just looking out for Catra’s safety. Best friends do that. Like, platonic best friends. They do that.

Still. It was confusing to Catra, and she felt indifferent about the affection she received from Adora lately. She loved it, but it also left her feeling confused. Not to mention it only furthered her torment. Every time Adora touched her she felt her cheeks flush, and it was becoming extremely hard to bare with every passing day. She’d kept it held in for such a long time, and she did a good job of it, too. Lately, though, with Adora’s feelings for women being something they discussed paired with her behavior that night, Catra was left with terrible uncertainty. She really had to stop. She was just thankful that Adora wasn’t seeing anyone at the moment, so she didn’t have to deal with the jealousy that came with her loving someone else. She couldn't bare it. As long as they were together and best friends she didn’t mind keeping her feelings a secret - it wasn’t preferable, but she did it. It was proving to be a tricky game, though, and she felt like she might just crack.

Catra gathered her things and headed out the door for work, actually _on time_ for once. Adora was going to be impressed with her. She clocked in and began her shift, and the two worked the day away as usual. 

~

Adora got home first. She set her things down, happy to be done with another shift. Lately the coffee shop has been such a hectic environment for her. Bustling with people and rude customers, it tired her out. She was glad to be home.

Adora looked around the empty apartment. Everything was left as it was, and an eerie silence filled the place. It was a little odd whenever Catra wasn’t around. There were plenty of instances when Adora was alone for a couple of hours, but it still felt weird to her. Catra was so loud and really livened up the place.

Catra got off of work soon anyways. She only had an hour, but that was enough time for Adora to whip up something quick for dinner. Catra would probably appreciate a nice meal after work. Besides, she felt as though she needed to make up for not making Catra pancakes that morning. It wasn’t necessarily an obligation, but Adora liked the routine, and she liked making things that Catra liked. 

Adora entered into the kitchen, tapping her index finger against her chin in thought. What could she make that was tasty yet quick? She wanted to have dinner ready for her best friend by the time she got home. There was no special occasion, but Adora wanted to surprise her. She had no other reason than to see a smile on Catra’s face. She was just cooking dinner for her completely-platonic-no-romantic-feelings-whatsoever best friend.

The blonde decided on mac and cheese. It wasn’t the fanciest, but it was quick and delicious - besides, Catra loved pasta. So, it was an all-around win. She didn’t exactly have time to make a feast or anything.

Grabbing a pot and some pasta, she filled up the pot with water and set it on the stove top. She began cooking the pasta until it was perfectly tender. She placed her playlist on shuffle and let her music play as she worked. Adora wasn’t a metal or hard rock kinda girl - she was more into hip-hop, pop and classical music. That was another area where the two girls differed - Catra would listen to the _worst_ music. In Adora’s opinion, anyways. Hearing Catra blasting her music from her room gave Adora a headache, and she wasn’t even near the source of it. She didn’t know how Catra hasn’t gone deaf by now. 

Adora finished up cooking, and stirred in the cheese sauce, humming along to her music as she did so. She stirred it all together with a wooden spoon, perfecting the meal. She brought out two plates and set them down on either side of the table, placing an equal amount of mac and cheese onto each. She grabbed some napkins and forks and set them down neatly beside the plates. Looking to the middle of the table, she noticed that it was a little bare. It was just her perfectionist speaking, but she had to find something to make the table look nice. Placing her pot and spoon into the sink, she headed to the cupboards above the fridge to retrieve a candle. It had been up there forever just collecting dust, so she might as well use it. It added class to the whole dinner. Besides, it was vanilla, and Adora loved the scent of vanilla.

She lit the candle, placing it in the center of the table. She took a step back to admire her work. Dinner set out on the table with a candle to complete the spread. The ambiance was lovely. Her music was playing slow, classical tunes and set comfort to the room. Adora was going to do the dishes before she heard the doorknob twist, and someone enter into the living room. She peeked her head out from the kitchen, before greeting Catra with a smile.

”Oh, hey, ‘Dora.” Catra greeted her, placing her bag down onto the floor.

”Hey! Welcome back. Did work treat you well?” 

”Ah, it was tiring, ugh. You know. It be like that sometimes.” 

Adora nodded, watching Catra slip her shoes off and settle in. 

”I know work sucks. You hungry?” Adora questioned Catra rather abruptly, excited to surprise her with dinner. Catra gave her a weird look.

”Ha, yeah. But I’m always hungry. You know that. Why?” 

”C’mere then, I cooked you dinner.” Adora turned and signaled Catra into the kitchen. The feline’s ears perked up with surprise, following Adora into the room. As soon as she entered the kitchen, she was met with a faint scent of mac and cheese. Mac and cheese, another one of her favorites. The smell was almost completely masked with the scent of vanilla, coming from the candle set in the middle of the table.

”I - uhhh.” Catra’s eyes circled the room. She noted the soft music playing from Adora’s phone, and the candle flickering. It was an awfully...romantic ambiance, and not something Catra was used to. Adora has cooked her dinner before, but never added these touches to it. It was just coincidence that Adora’s phone was playing really sappy music at the time, but naturally Catra misinterpreted that as something else. Anyone would, really. The music paired with the candle flickering and the random gesture itself left her obviously confused.

She stared at the dinner table, and said nothing for a few moments.

“So? What do you think?” Adora smiled, swaying her hands behind her back, awaiting Catra’s approval. It never came.

Catra pursed her lips, eyeing the dinner table and then Adora with a blank expression. She didn’t know how to process this. Suddenly, she furrowed her brows.

What.. _exactly_ was going on here? Adora was giving her so many confusing signals. Why would she cook her dinner and set it up like it was a date or something? The music was playing faintly in the background. Soft instrumental.

Adora paused, her smile dying down and turning into a pout. “You don’t like it?”

”No, I do - I just..." Catra paused, unable to find her words for a moment. "...Adora? Are you..like, fucking with me?”

Adora was taken aback by Catra’s suddenly serious tone - not often did she hear that. She was being eyed with a look that suggested anger.

”Why would I do that?” Adora’s voice got a little quieter as she stared at Catra.

”Look, man, if you’re fucking with me it’s not funny.” Catra spoke, her tone rather harsh. She was pent up with frustration - not necessarily directed at Adora, but more so the situation. She was tired of not knowing what the hell was going on between them. Her irritation didn’t last long, though, because in no time the anger on her face transitioned into a look of despair - hopelessness, almost. 

”Catra, why would I do that? What on earth do you mean? I just decided to cook you dinner because I thought you might be hungry after work. I wanted to make up for not making you pancakes this morning.”

Catra looked down to the floor, rubbing her shoulder. She shuffled her feet idly, her tail swaying back and forth slowly.

”It’s just…you…you’re giving me really mixed signals here. I...” Catra’s voice trailed off, her voice a little shaken. “...maybe I’m misinterpreting something. I know I act tough and shit, but I really can’t handle my heart being toyed with, Adora.” 

Adora was silent, her eyes fixed on her best friend. She was giving off awfully nervous energy. Sad energy, too. What did she mean? She noticed Catra’s eyes were getting glossier, and they were beginning to well up with tears. The feline wouldn’t look directly at Adora, either. Catra continued, despite the knot in her throat. 

“You cooked me a candlelit dinner for no reason. You’ve been so touchy with me lately. I know you were high as hell but...you were cuddling me, you kept saying that I was pretty. You ki…” Catra’s voice trailed off immediately when she realized what she was saying, and her lips sealed shut. She was trembling, and obviously trying not to cry.

”I..what?” Adora tilted her head, confusion written all over her face. Her eyes held fear. “Oh, god - what did I do? Catra? Did I do something you didn’t tell me about?”

”It’s- it’s nothing bad,” Catra digressed. “Like, don’t worry. It wasn’t even on the mouth. Like-”

Adora’s eyes popped, and she looked completely and utterly bewildered. What did _that_ mean?

”W..what? Oh, Catra. I-” Adora stuttered, her memory from that night slowly creeping back into her conscience. Everything was still unclear, but she did remember giving Catra a kiss on the cheek before falling asleep, now that it was mentioned. Mixed with the drugs and her sleepiness, it was a detail she’d forgotten. A detail that Catra had glossed over. She froze, understanding what Catra had meant now. She had let a lot of her inner feelings surface when she was high - and this topped it all off. No wonder Catra was left confused. Her actions spoke volumes.

”Yeah, yeah, I know,” Catra swiped a tear from the corner of her eye with the back of her hand, trying to retain her tough composure. “Like, you were high. I get it. It’s just - with that, and this - I _know_ you don’t want someone like me. So it just seems like you’re fucking with me just to _mess_ with me. I don’t know. Maybe I’m an idiot. Ugh, sorry.”

”Catra, I-”

”Just spare my feelings, please - like, yeah, I know what you’re gonna say. Just be nice about it.”

Adora’s mind was racing. Did Catra actually...like her? Why else would she be so pressed about something that Adora did while she was high? All of the drawings Adora found of herself made sense now - all of the times she’d caught Catra looking at her over the years. All of the times Catra would compliment her appearance. All of the times Catra playfully joked about dating her best friend instead of the other girls. ‘Maybe I should just date you instead, at least you won’t screw me over. Ha, that’d be funny, huh’. All of the times Catra seemed to want to touch her just for the hell of touching her. Whether it be a hug, grabbing her forearm, or touching her shoulder. She understood why Catra seemed so off and unlike herself whenever Adora got a new boyfriend. Why Catra was always trying to make her laugh, and finding any possible way to make Adora smile. Her best friend banter was… flirting all this time? Maybe? She had no idea when Catra’s feelings for her blossomed - to be truthful, she had no idea when hers blossomed for Catra, either. It snuck up on her - she loved her in a best friend way, but as she grew older she began seeing her in a different light. She’d denied it for so long. She’s had these feelings for so long, and was under the impression that Catra didn’t want her at all. She’s been blind all this time. Catra was pining for her. They were both pining for each other and they had been too dumb and oblivious to realize it. 

Adora was frozen in the same spot for a few seconds, unable to move. She heard Catra sniffle. Her ears were down and she looked defeated and rather embarrassed. Was this the reality all along? Has Catra had feelings for her this entire time? Adora couldn’t wrap her head around it. Her heart was beating out of her chest. She gathered every ounce of bravery in her body and stepped closer to Catra, before reaching for her hand. She lifted it up and slid her fingers into the grooves of Catra’s fingers, holding her hand. Catra’s head lifted, and she was met with Adora’s face just inches away from hers. Adora glanced to her lips, and then back to Catra’s eyes. Catra was frozen, her lower lip trembling from trying to keep the tears inside. She stared into Adora’s eyes, and Adora stared back intently. The blonde spoke, but her voice was soft and quiet.

”Would it be okay…” Adora pressed her forehead to Catra’s. She tightened her grip around her hand, lifting her other hand to cup Catra’s cheek and run her thumb along the surface of it. “..If I found out what it was like to actually kiss a girl right now?”

Adora didn’t exactly wait for a response. She dove in to press her lips to Catra’s, closing her eyes and feeling her entire body shudder with brand new feelings. She felt so warm, her limbs were tingling and her heart was _racing_. She hadn’t felt this when kissing anybody else before. To say she had butterflies in her stomach was an understatement. Catra was visibly stunned, her eyes nearly popping out of her head as the blondes lips met her own. She was too stunned to kiss back for a couple of moments - but soon her eyes welled even more and heaps of tears trickled down her cheeks. She lunged herself into the kiss, sliding her hand out from Adora’s to grab the blondes face. She pulled the blonde in closer, almost desperately - like she’s yearned for this exact moment for years and years. And she has. She had wanted to kiss this stupid dorky best friend of hers for so fucking long. She’d wanted this longer than anything else in her entire life. It was apparent in her kiss, too. 

Adora was pulled in closer, and her eyes opened with a flutter, but soon closed again, feeling complete and unadulterated bliss. Fuck, Catra’s lips _were_ soft. She’d wondered how they’d feel against her own. Sparks were flying as the two extracted all of the feelings they’ve had over the years into one intense and breathtaking kiss.

Catra pulled away just for a moment to look at Adora, her cheeks wet with tears. She couldn’t hold her tears in anymore. They rolled down her cheeks like a waterfall - but she wasn’t crying due to being in pain anymore. She was crying because she felt so many emotions at once. Her chest was bursting with euphoria.

“Ohhh, my god.” Catra panted, catching her breath before lunging in for another kiss immediately after. Catra held Adora’s face and wouldn’t let go. Adora didn’t object, not at all - she kissed her back with just as much passion and longing, and the two appeared unable to get enough of each other - and rightfully so. They had been pining for so long, and finally got the chance to let it all out, after all these years. The situation made Adora well up, too, and both girls were eventually crying their eyes out. There was a plethora of emotions bursting inside of them both.

Catra started laughing, her smile breaking the kiss. Adora smiled back at her, wider than she’s ever smiled before. Catra kept her hands on Adora’s face, but ceased being rough, holding it tenderly as she stared into the blondes blue eyes.

”Oh my fucking _god_ , Adora. Oh my god.” Catra stuttered, experiencing difficulty finding her words. “I love you. I’ve loved you for so fucking long. I- I.. oh, my god.”

Adora was the one to initiate another kiss this time, grabbing Catra by the collar of her shirt and pulling her in for another kiss. Catra was experiencing heaven right now. Heaven she thought she’d never get to experience. 

”Mm-” Catra kissed her back hard, and when she reluctantly pulled away again, she was panting. She didn’t ever want to stop kissing those lips. They were everything she ever imagined, and _better_. Soft, warm and inviting. 

”I love you - I do like you. I like you so fucking much, Catra.” Adora stammered, and it was definitely a different site than what Catra was used to. Adora was always so put together, but right now she was lost in space and drunk off of Catra and the discovery of her feelings. Catra held Adora’s face close to hers, entranced by her eyes, of which were filled with both burning desire and relief.

“Jesus Christ, Adora. I’ve liked you since I realized it when I was fucking twelve. Do you know how long that is? Do you know how long I’ve been staring at you, wanting to fucking kiss you? Adora..” Catra beamed, her expression tender and sincere. “You are so fucking beautiful. You’re my best friend, everything about you is amazing. I’m..I’m in love with you, Adora. I have been for years.”

Adora blinked, her mouth slightly agape. Catra was _in love with her_. Adora was on cloud nine right now. She had been too oblivious to realize the hints. The closeness they shared was always unique, and not that of your typical friendship. She’d been so blinded by self doubt that she didn’t realize Catra’s feelings for her were there the entire time. They were always there. 

“Catra... I’m so in love with you. I’ve denied it for so long, I thought you wouldn’t want someone like me. I thought...”

Catra cut her off, resting her forehead against Adora’s, gazing into her eyes.

“Adora. How could I not want you. You’re gorgeous, you’re smart, you’re literal perfection. You do things to me that nobody else has ever done. Being with you is the highlight of my day. Nobody makes me laugh like you do. I can’t describe how much I fucking love you.”

Adora’s smile somehow got even bigger, and she pressed her lips to Catra’s again, wrapping her arms around the felines neck and hugging into her tightly. Catra returned the kiss and wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling Adora in. She wanted to be as close as possible to her right now. She had to make up for all the years she’d longed for Adora. She had a feeling that they’d be entwined like this for the rest of the night. 

The music was still playing out softly in the background. It was perfect - it added to the tenderness of the moment.

Adora pulled away slowly and nuzzled her face into the crook of Catra’s neck, tightening her grip around the girl. 

“You’re so perfect.. I- I know I get on your case a lot, but its because I love you so much. I can’t believe you like me.” Adora spoke softly.

“Is this real? Am I in a dream right now?” Catra laughed, physically unable to stop smiling. Her cheeks hurt from smiling so much, and she was okay with it. Catra kissed the top of Adora’s head multiple times, holding her as tight as possible. 

“I have.. so many things to show you. Would you believe that I’ve been writing poetry about you for years? Ever since elementary school. I have so many poems stuffed into the back of my portfolio. I didn’t want you to see because I was scared. But..now I can show you..and that..feels so fucking good.” 

Catra could feel Adora’s tears seeping through the fabric of her shirt. She didn’t mind, though - they were both blubbering disasters right now.

“You wrote about me.. oh my god.” Adora whispered, nuzzling her cheek against Catra’s shoulder. She kept her face hidden, but only because she felt most comfortable snuggled into Catra. She couldn’t get close enough.

“I did..you’re, like, all I write about. I love you so much, Adora. Can I show you?” Catra asked, watching Adora’s face lift as their eyes met again. 

“Please...show me everything.” Adora smiled, gliding her hand to Catra’s cheek again, before kissing it gently. Catra’s cheeks burned. This new affection from Adora was so different, but so staggering. It almost didn’t feel real. Catra had to remind herself that this _was_ real. It was a dream come true. She never though she’d have Adora as her own. She was never more relieved to say that she was wrong. 

Catra took Adora’s hand and led her into her room. Catra was going to show her everything. Everything she’s drawn and written about her. She was going to tell her everything. The two spent the entire night talking, cuddling and kissing, getting completely lost in each other. They’d wanted to do this for so long, and they were going to make up for lost time. The rush of new feelings was almost too much to bear, but they had waited so long for this that it didn’t even matter. They finally confessed their feelings for each other and it felt so good to have them out in the open after all these years. 

Catra and Adora couldn’t sleep that night. They were too wrapped up in each other and the possibilities for the future. Everything was coming together now. They always had each other, but now they had one another in a different way. The way they saw in their dreams. It was safe to say that it was a dream come true, and neither girl wanted to wake up. They were together now. _Actually_ together. Their dinner on the table went cold, but neither of them cared. They were too busy relishing in their newfound feelings, and nothing in the world felt better.


End file.
